U. 


GIFT  OF 


|v 


"87 


APPLETONS'  NEW  HANDY-VOLUME  SERIES. 


THE 


RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS, 


FROM   THE   FRENCH   OF 


JACQUES  VINCENT. 


NEW  YORK: 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 

1,  3,   AND   5  BOND  STREET. 

1880. 


COPYEIQHT  BY 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY. 

1880. 


THE 


RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS, 


MARTHA  !  Your  little  princess  has  reached 
Marseilles  !  Alas,  dearest,  scarcely  a  day  has 
flown,  and  I  am  already  so  far  away  !  It  seems 
almost  a  century  since  we  parted,  and  I  feel  so 
lonely.  After  our  cruel  separation  at  the  station, 
it  is  unnecessary  to  tell  you  that,  despite  my  pre- 
tended courage,  you  had  no  sooner  left  the  car 
than  I  burst  into  tears,  and  wept  as  if  my  heart 
would  break.  While  I  thus  indulged  my  grief, 
poor  Bell,  in  the  methodical  manner  which  is  her 
second  nature,  busied  herself  in  arranging  our 
traveling-luggage,  and  silently  let  the  crisis  pass. 
An  overwhelming  sense  of  loneliness  oppressed 
me.  Torn  so  suddenly  from  those  I  loved,  it 
seemed  as  if  all  the  ties  which  attached  me  to 
earth  were  uprooted  ;  and  with  my  desolation  was 
mixed  a  vague  terror.  Can  this  unknown  family 

43882 


THE  RETTTRN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


"  •     •        •      c'      «      '   .    '  i      *        r  t 

that  recall'  me  make  me 'forget  the  one  I  lose,  and 
with  whom  I  have  been  so  happy  ?  From  my 
earliest  recollection  I  have  known  only  your  home, 
and,  although  destiny  carries  me  to  Egypt,  my 
heart  will  dwell  with  you  alone.  I  will  always  in 
memory  remain  in  that  dear  house  and  great  gar- 
den, filled  with  our  dreams  ;  and  one  half  of  me 
will  always  be  with  your  dear  mother  and  your- 
self. 

"Bell,"  I  cried,  "you  will  never  leave  me?" 
and  seizing  her  hands  I  sobbed  aloud. 

In  my  utter  desolation  I  was  amazed  at  the 
thoughtlessness  in  which  I  had  so  long  lived. 
Life  had  been  so  sweet  in  your  home  that  you 
had  seemed  like  a  true  sister,  and  your  mother's 
affection,  almost  as  deep  as  that  she  bore  you, 
always  made  me  feel  like  one  of  your  own  family. 
Why,  indeed,  should  I  have  distressed  myself 
about  the  future  ?  All  I  know  of  myself  is,  that 
I  was  born  in  Cairo,  a  princess,  and  rich  ;  that  I 
was  five  years  old  when  M.  Gtitler,  my  father's 
banker,  brought  me  to  you.  Speaking  no  lan- 
guage but  Arabic,  I  was  for  a  whole  week  so 
thoroughly  obstinate  and  untamable  that  the  poor 
baroness,  in  despair,  seriously  thought  of  sending 
me  back  to  my  native  pyramids.  Thanks  to  you, 
however,  I  was  subdued,  and  Bell  transformed 
me  into  a  little  creature — I  will  not  say  reason- 
able, but  at  least  civilized.  In  your  home  I  was 
too  happy  to  regret  my  own.  Do  you  remember 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  5 

the  morning  when  my  old  Arab  professor,  who 
came  daily  to  converse  with  me  in  my  own  tongue, 
observed  that  I  was  nearly  grown  ;  and  the  aston- 
ishment with  which  we  learned  that  the  customs 
of  my  country  required  that  girls  should  be  shut 
up  in  the  harems  before  the  age  of  twelve  ?  I 
was  then  fifteen. 

You  threw  yourself  on  my  neck  crying,  "  Then 
they  have  forgotten  you  !  " 

Martha,  I  had  hoped  they  always  would  forget 
me.  Though  so  grieved,  I  wept  myself  to  sleep  ; 
but  even  in  slumber  my  distress  continued,  and  the 
break  of  day  found  me  still  engrossed  with  my 
sad  reminiscences.  One  of  those  lovely  October 
suns,  that  we  so  loved  under  our  shady  trees, 
shone  through  my  windows,  recalling  our  journey 
together  last  year  over  this  same  road,  in  going 
to  Nice,  and  sweet  memories  rushed  in  crowds  to 
my  heart,  dimming  my  eyes. 

" Poor  little  thing"  whispered  Bell,  suspecting 
something  of  this.  I  let  my  head  fall  on  her 
shoulder,  and  she  soothingly  spoke  of  you,  of 
hope,  of  the  future,  of  the  happiness  I  should  feel 
when  you  came  to  visit  me  in  Egypt.  As  I  doubt- 
ed if  your  mother  would  ever  come  so  far,  she 
suggested  that  it  might  be  your  bridal  excursion. 
So  hasten,  dearest  ;  lose  no  time  in  getting  mar- 
ried— and  come.  When  we  reached  Marseilles, 
we  went  to  the  same  hotel,  and  had  the  identical 
apartments  we  occupied  together.  Alas  !  how 


6  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

lonely  did  I  feel !  I  was  chilled  to  the  heart.  All 
was  over  for  me  ;  I  had  lost  you,  and  the  future 
loomed  dark  and  desolate. 

The  vessel  was  not  to  sail  until  the  next  morn- 
ing, so  Bell,  to  divert  my  mind,  took  me  round 
the  town.  A  very  sharp  altercation  disagreeably 
marked  our  promenade.  It  was  the  first  disagree- 
ment between  us.  I  went  to  a  florist  to  purchase 
some  camelia-plants  and  dwarf  bananas,  and  or- 
dered them  to  be  expressed  to  Paris,  to  you.  Bell 
led  me  out  of  the  greenhouse. 

"  A  bouquet !  "  she  said  to  me,  as  we  passed 
along ;  "  a  thousand  francs  for  flowers !  We 
must  be  economical,  Miriam.  Egypt  is  bank- 
rupt." 

You  know  me  well  enough  to  understand 
what  my  outburst  was  at  this  unlooked-for  pru- 
dence ;  but  I  had  my  way,  and  you  shall  have 
your  flowers. 

We  continued  our  walk,  and  I  scolded  Bell, 
who  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  in  the  least.  In  a  half 
hour  I  was  so  weary  that  she  stopped  a  carriage. 

"  It  is  marvelous,"  I  said,  "  that  you  do  not 
compel  me  to  walk — to  '  economize.5 " 

"  You  are  not  accustomed  to  walk,"  she  an- 
swered, "  and  a  carriage  is  necessary  for  you. 
God  forbid  that  I  should  ever  deprive  you  of  ne- 
cessary things  ! " 

"  It  is  also  necessary  for  me  to  afford  pleasures 
to  my  friends." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  7 

She  pressed  both  my  hands  in  hers.  "  Dar- 
ling," she  said.  But  this  caress  did  not  mollify 
me. 

After  dinner,  where  I  behaved  very  crossly, 
as  soon  as  the  servant  left  the  room,  she  rose  with 
that  quiet  smile  which  gives  her  the  appearance 
of  irritating  wisdom,  and  unfolded  that  unlucky 
letter,  the  cause  of  all  my  trouble. 

I  scornfully  threw  it  aside,  but,  without  being 
in  the  least  disconcerted,  she  picked  it  up  and  read 
aloud  : 

"  DEAR  M.  GUTLER  :  I  beg  you  will  send  my 
daughter  home  to  me  by  the  first  steamer.  My 
superintendent  will  only  pay  half  your  account, 
for  I  have  no  more  money  at  present.  Egypt  is 
ruined  !  " 

How  dull  this  hotel  seems  without  you  !  Curled 
up  in  the  corner  of  the  fireplace,  in  an  easy-chair, 
I  dream  of  Egypt.  .  .  .  Am  I  not  like  one  of 
those  children  we  sometimes  read  of,  who,  de- 
serted for  the  best  part  of  a  lifetime,  are  at 
length  hunted  up  and  recalled,  like  a  package 
deposited  and  forgotten  in  the  interval  ?  This 
is  certainly  a  romance  ;  and,  if  my  heart  were  not 
involved,  my  imagination,  which  you  always  think 
extravagant,  would  recognize  the  resemblance. 
What  am  I  to  find  out  there  ?  I  try  to  picture 
that  father  whom  I  have  never  seen  ;  that  coun- 


8  THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

try  which  only  seems  to  offer  one  advantage — 
heat — for  I  am  always  as  cold  as  a  dead  fish.  I 
try  to  jest,  my  poor  Martha,  but  at  heart  I  trem- 
ble, and  that  word  "  forgotten,"  that  in  your  ten- 
derness you  one  day  uttered,  is  it  not  the  painful 
disclosure  of  long  indifference,  or  some  misfor- 
tune to  which  I  have  no  key  ? 

Do  not  scold.  Your  last  little  lecture  is  still 
remembered.  It  is,  that  reasons  or  circumstances 
are  more  compulsory  than  inclination.  If  my  fa- 
ther separated  from  his  daughter,  it  was  because 
it  was  necessary  ;  if  he  now  recalls  her,  it  is  be- 
cause the  obstacle  to  her  return  is  removed.  All 
this  may  be  very  true,  but  what  of  that  ?  You 
know  I  am  not  gifted  by  nature  with  that  passive 
submission  which  yields  blindly  and  unquestion- 
ingly.  I  must  inquire  into  things.  My  brain  will 
be  active  in  spite  of  me.  Must  I  own  it  ?  At 
this  moment  when  I  am  going  to  rejoin  my  fam- 
ily, my  feelings  are  those  of  agony.  I  am  terri- 
fied. Yes,  I  am  terrified  at  the  unknown  !  I 
picture  my  father  cold,  severe,  hostile  even  to 
this  daughter  reared  so  far  away  from  him.  Why 
should  he  love  me  ?  He  does  not  know  me  ;  and, 
besides,  what  bond  unites  us  to  each  other  ?  The 
thought  of  my  mother  alone  would  console  me  ; 
but  I  well  know  that  my  mother  is  dead,  for  she 
would  not  have  abandoned  me. 

Come,  dearest,  marry  quickly,  because  I  wish 
it,  and  you  never  refuse  me  anything.  Then  you 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  9 

can  come  and  seek  me,  and  we  can  consult  to- 
gether with  your  husband,  whether  I  shall  keep 
you  with  me,  or  you  shall  carry  me  off  with  you. 
Divide  with  your  mother  my  tenderest  love. 


II. 

I  HAVE  seen  my  father  !  He  is  good,  tender, 
and  charming — and  I  love  him  ! 

My  arrival  at  Chimilah  was  a  bewilderment — 
a  dream,  and  I  write  you  from  the  Palace  of  a 
Thousand  and  One  Nights.  And  yet  Egypt  is 
ruined  !  But  I  see,  if  I  do  not  tell  you  my  ad- 
ventures connectedly,  you  will  think  I  am  crazy. 

After  writing  my  letter  from  Marseilles  I  went 
to  rest,  as  we  had  to  rise  very  early  the  next 
morning  to  take  the  Alexandria  boat.  I  will  pass 
over  the  night,  which,  as  usual  with  me,  was  one 
of  unbroken  sleep.  I  will  not  describe  the  scene 
in  the  morning  :  Bell  forcibly  tore  me  out  of  bed 
and  dressed  me.  The  account  of  oar  voyage  will 
not  interest  you  any  more  than  the  portraits  of 
Madame  Panafy,  the  wife  of  the  most  important 
banker  of  Cairo,  and  her  two  daughters,  with 
hanging,  disheveled  hair.  It  must  suffice  you  to 
know  that  from  first  to  last,  from  larboard  to 
starboard,  I  inspired  universal  curiosity,  and  was 
a  subject  of  general  conversation.  Bell  soon 
learned  the  secret  of  this  astonishing  sensation, 


10  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

caused  by  the  name  of  the  Princess  Miriam  among 
the  list  of  passengers  first,  and  afterward,  because, 
according  to  the  habits  and  usages  of  Egypt,  it 
was  an  unheard-of  thing,  incredible  and  extraor- 
dinary, that  my  highness,  seventeen  years  of  age, 
should  go  thus  without  a  veil,  or  habarah,  a 
shrouding  robe,  and  without  guardians  of  the 
harem. 

The  seventh  day  rose.  From  daylight  until 
evening  we  were  in  sight  of  Alexandria.  It  was 
very  rough,  but  we  were  on  deck  by  day-dawn. 
Bell  that  morning  had  no  need  to  rouse  me. 
Leaning  against  the  side  of  the  vessel,  I  gazed 
upon  the  muddy  stream,  upon  which  floated  a 
crowd  of  white  vessels.  We  advanced  slowly. 
Some  small  boats  left  the  bank  and  came  to  meet 
us.  All  around  us  the  passengers,  lorgnette  in 
hand,  eagerly  sought  to  find  their  friends  and  re- 
lations. It  was  a  joyous  moment  for  them  all.  I 
sadly  remembered  that  the  ruin  was  the  cause  of 
my  return,  and  that  I  was  about  to  fall  into  the 
midst  of  misfortune.  I  repressed  my  tears,  hold- 
ing tightly  to  Bell's  arm  as  if  I  were  clinging  to 
her  protection  as  the  only  love  left  me.  A  half 
hour  flew  thus.  Trembling  and  anxious  I  thought 
of  you.  The  vessel  stopped  and  an  anchor  was 
thrown  out,  while  the  little  boats  crowded  like  a 
flock  of  birds  around  our  ship  and  exchanged  sig- 
nals. There  was  no  one  for  me  to  recognize.  The 
boatmen,  clothed  in  a  long  blue  robe,  their  heads 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  H 

covered  by  turbans  (or  takies),  with  their  guttural 
voices  uttering  a  strange  dialect,  seemed  to  be 
heard  by  me  for  the  first  time.  I  entered  my  na- 
tive land  as  a  stranger.  Yet  under  this  warm 
light  these  types,  these  costumes,  this  butterfly 
assortment  of  colors,  this  uproar  and  busy  life — 
what  can  I  say  of  it  ?  My  curiosity  so  carried  me 
away  that  I  forgot  everything — I  looked  only. 
A  very  large  boat  with  a  canopy,  rowed  by  twelve 
oarsmen,  soon  absorbed  my  attention.  At  its  ap- 
proach the  others  made  way.  It  came  toward 
the  ship  leaving  a  light  track  upon  the  water,  its 
twelve  oars  falling  in  measured  cadence,  its  cur- 
tains flying  in  the  breeze.  At  the  back  a  man  was 
seated,  his  head  erect  and  haughty,  his  arms 
crossed  upon  his  breast  ;  he  was  doubtless  some 
grand  personage.  When  the  boat  reached  us  he 
rose  and  ascended  the  ladder  to  the  deck,  where 
the  captain  received  him  with  uncovered  head. 
What  was  my  surprise  when  both  came  toward 
me  !  When  they  reached  me  the  captain  intro- 
duced me.  Martha  !  This  individual,  to  whom 
every  one  paid  homage,  was  my  father  !  He 
opened  his  arms,  and  I  threw  myself  into  them. 

My  father,  Martha,  is  young  and  elegant.  He 
is  barely  thirty-nine  years  old.  Tall,  slender,  very 
graceful,  with  deep,  dark,  proud  eyes,  a  chiseled 
nose,  and  of  a  pale  complexion.  What  more  can 
I  tell  you  ?  You  already  recognize  the  portrait 
of  his  daughter — in  beauty. 


12  THE  RETURN  OP  THE  PRINCESS. 

He  bowed  to  Bell  with  the  loveliest  smile, 
thanking  her  in  some  graceful  sentences,  and  in 
very  easy  French,  for  having  been  willing  to  ac- 
company me  to  Egypt  and  continue  her  charge 
of  me  ;  after  that  he  led  me  to  my  cabin,  where 
my  women  were  awaiting  me.  I  could  not  dis- 
embark nor  show  myself  clothed  as  a  European. 
My  harem-life  had  begun.  One  could  not  oppose 
my  father.  His  air,  his  bearing,  and  his  tone,  a 
nameless  something  about  him,  command  at  the 
same  time  respect  and  submission.  I  obeyed  with- 
out uttering  a  word.  At  the  door  of  my  cabin, 
negroes  mounted  guard.  I  entered,  and  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  two  phantoms  hidden 
under  their  habarahs — a  sort  of  black  silk  bag  or 
sack  which  conceals  their  heads,  hands,  and  bod- 
ies— through  two  holes  their  eyes  shine  like  glow- 
ing charcoal.  A  little  later  I  went  out  exactly 
like  these  phantoms,  except  that  I  wore  a  white 
Tiabarah  and  a  heavy  lace  veil. 

Bell  was  all  black.  I  laughed  as  I  went 
stumbling  in  my  drapery,  and  had  to  walk  with 
the  greatest  care  to  prevent  my  falling  down.  I 
looked  in  vain  for  my  father,  the  Koran  forbid- 
ding any  Mussulman  to  go  about  with  a  woman. 
I  was  alone  with  my  attendants.  We  took  our 
places  in  a  superb  boat,  hidden  under  awnings. 
On  landing,  a  carriage  was  awaiting  us.  I  en- 
tered it,  followed  by  Bella,  and  my  attendants  in 
front.  Think  how  it  all  must  have  interested  inc. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  13 

The  costume  of  the  rais  (runners)  appeared  charm- 
ing to  me.  A  vest  embroidered  in  gold,  with  long 
sleeves  of  gauze  floating  like  wings.  The  black 
men  mounted  horses  richly  caparisoned,  and  rode 
one  at  each  door,  the  blinds  of  which  had  been 
carefully  lowered  by  my  women  in  waiting.  Two 
of  the  men  rode  in  front  of  the  carriage,  and  two 
in  the  rear  closed  the  procession — a  veritable  cor- 
tege. 

Then,  my  dear,  a  strange  thing  occurred.  You 
know  how  I  always  have  jested  myself  about  my 
title  of  princess.  But  this  apparel,  these  atten- 
dants, this  respect,  so  confused  me  that,  rather 
serious  under  the  gaze  of  my  people,  and  as 
though  they  could  see  my  features  under  my  veil, 
it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  grew  suddenly  greater. 
Laugh  at  me,  my  beauty.  I  was  intimidated  by 
my  own  rank.  I  was  silent,  absorbed  in  this  new 
rdle,  dazzled  and  charmed.  The  thought  of  my 
father  transported  me,  and  I  loved  him  already. 
I  also  already  love  this  country  which  is  his. 

The  carriage  stopped  at  the  station,  where  all 
were  busy.  They  led  us  through  a  road  forbid- 
den to  people  generally,  to  a  car  which  had  been 
secured  for  us.  The  negroes  locked  us  in,  and 
staid  outside  themselves.  Picture  to  yourself  an 
Arab  saloon — divans,  carpets,  little  tables  incrust- 
ed  with  mother-of-pearl,  and  golden  curtains  be- 
fore the  windows  of  extraordinary  tenuity,  like 
the  gauzy  film  of  a  fly's  wing.  It  was  impossible 


14  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

for  any  one  outside  to  see  within,  but  from  the 
interior  it  was  very  easy  to  look  through  this 
diaphanous  curtain.  I  soon  perceived  my  father 
gazing  on  my  padlocked  prison.  I  attempted  to 
spring  toward  him,  but  the  expression  of  my  wo- 
men proved  that  I  should  be  guilty  of  great  folly. 
The  princess  would  forget  herself.  The  journey 
seemed  interminably  long  to  me.  At  each  station 
our  jailers  showed  themselves,  bringing  fruits, 
flowers  and  fresh  water,  and  keeping  guard  at  the 
door.  At  Cairo  the  same  escort  as  at  Alexandria, 
horses  and  carriages  so  exactly  resembling  each 
other  that  it  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  brought 
along  with  us. 

You  expect,  doubtless,  that  I  will  describe 
Cairo,  but  such  a  reader  as  you  are  has  already 
devoured,  since  my  departure,  all  that  has  been 
written  on  the  subject.  Cairo  !  This  country  of 
mine  !  I  gazed  through  a  little  opening  of  the 
closed  blinds.  What  a  crowd,  what  reveling  of 
rich  coloring,  what  rags,  what  shining  array,  what 
a  picturesque  effect,  what  dust,  and  what  filth  ! 

We  left  the  town,  and  our  carriage  entered  a 
superb  grove  of  sycamores.  This  place  is  called 
Choubrah.  Under  this  arch  of  foliage  the  sun 
casts  little  spots  of  gold  upon  the  dark  road,  while 
in  the  distance  the  white  line  of  palaces  deepened 
yet  more  the  sapphire  tint  of  the  Nile,  where 
glided  gently  the  dahabiehs — those  boats  with 
two  sails  extended  like  the  wings  of  a  bird.  I 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  15 

was  beside  myself  with  delight — reassured,  con- 
fiding, and  intoxicated. 

Then  we  arrived  at  Chimilah,  the  place  where 
I  was  born.  First,  we  entered  an  immense  door, 
and  passed  through  a  large  court ;  then  a  second 
door  was  seen,  on  each  side  of  which  were  two 
black  boys  seated  upon  stone  benches,  who  ran  to 
open  it  for  us.  The  palace  is  vast,  painted  rose- 
color,  and  without  other  architectural  decoration 
than  the  wonderfully  worked  gratings  in  nearly 
all  the  windows.  The  building  has  a  very  lofty 
rez-de-chaussee,  surmounted  by  a  single  story.  At 
each  side  are  two  very  elegant  pavilions.  The 
carriage  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  flight  of  marble 
steps,  where  my  father  was  awaiting  me,  and  who 
carried  me  in.  A  dozen  eunuchs  were  ranged 
under  the  peristyle.  I  was  too  agitated  to  ob- 
serve any  of  the  rooms  through  which  we  passed. 
Alone,  we  two  entered  a  grand  saloon,  softly 
shaded,  and  opening  on  a  large  veranda  blooming 
as  a  greenhouse. 

He  raised  my  veil  and  threw  it  back. 

"  Let  me  look  at  you,"  he  said. 

I  stood  timidly  before  him,  but  he  made  me 
sit  with  him  on  the  divan,  holding  my  hand  in 
his.  Then  we  spoke.  He  inquired  with  solicitude 
of  the  fatigue  of  the  voyage.  I  answered  in 
Arabic,  and  he  was  delighted  to  see  that  I  had 
not  forgotten  my  mother  tongue.  He  questioned 
me  with  tender  familiarity.  I  related  my  past 


16  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

life,  introducing  your  mother  and  yourself.  He 
gazed  on  me  with  a  sort  of  delighted  surprise, 
seeking  to  find  my  childish  countenance  in  my 
present  expression,  and  interrupting  me  by  pater- 
nal admiration,  at  which  I  could  not  help  blush- 
ing. Then  with  a  sweet  smile  he  said  : 

"Listen  to  me,  Miriam.  Before  presenting 
you  to  your  family,  I  wish  to  prepare  you  for.  cer- 
tain very  natural  surprises.  You  know  nothing 
of  your  country,  nor  of  us,  nor  our  customs  :  you 
are  a  child  of  Europe.  I  dread  this  abrupt  change 
in  your  life,  for  I  fear  you  will  suffer  from  certain 
customs  totally  opposed  to  your  education  and 
ideas.  But,  while  I  do  not  wish  to  see  you  suffer, 
you  must  promise,  my  daughter,  to  render  me 
implicit  obedience,  so  that  my  happiness  in  re- 
gaining you  may  not  be  disturbed  by  annoyance 
or  dissensions." 

"  Make  your  mind  easy,  father,"  I  warmly 
answered  ;  "  I  will  obey  you." 

"  I  have  lived  in  Europe,"  continued  he,  "  and 
do  not  hide  from  myself  all  the  difficulty  you  will 
have  in  keeping  your  promise.  The  harem  has 
customs  which,  at  first,  will  seem  tyrannical  to 
you  ;  afterward  you  will  find  the  yoke  easy  and 
gentle." 

Touched  by  these  words  I  assured  him  anew 
of  my  submission.  Timidly  I  ventured  to  ques- 
tion him  about  my  mother.  She  died  young,  at 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  also  informed  me  that 


THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  17 

I  have  a  brother  named  All  who  was  educated  in 
England.  I  discover  that,  in  separating  my  bro- 
ther and  myself,  my  father  yielded  to  the  influ- 
ence of  his  first  wife,  whose  hatred  of  my  mother 
had  extended  to  us. 

"  If  I  tell  you  these  things,  Miriam,"  he  added 
with  a  tinge  of  melancholy,  "  it  is  because  there 
are  details  that  my  affection  would  not,  could  not, 
let  others  inform  you  of.  They  prate  a  good  deal 
in  the  harems,  and  the  slaves  would  have  repeated 
them  in  their  own  fashion.  This  I  wished  to 
avoid." 

I  thanked  him  warmly.  Then,  kissing  me  on 
the  forehead — 

"  Come,  now,"  said  he,  "  they  await  us." 

He  rose  and  we  passed  along  large  galleries 
deliciously  fresh  and  cool.  Suddenly  an  open  door 
discovered  to  me  the  most  unexpected,  the  strang- 
est, the  most  fairy-like  tableau.  Here,  my  dear, 
begin  "  The  Thousand  and  One  Nights." 

Imagine  an  immense  hall  dazzling  in  gilding 
and  silk,  shaded  into  semi-darkness  by  shrubbery 
and  flowers,  filled  with  about  fifty  women,  wives, 
servants,  or  slaves,  all  clothed  in  wonderful  cos- 
tumes. I  advanced  like  one  in  a  dream.  All 
were  standing,  according  to  the  strict  etiquette 
of  the  harem,  motionless  and  silent.  In  the  si- 
lence which  welcomed  the  entrance  of  the  mas- 
ter, two  of  them  approached  to  salute  him  in  the 
Arabic  fashion,  bowing  very  low,  and  carrying 
2 


18  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

his  hand  to  their  hearts,  their  lips,  and  afterward 
to  their  foreheads.  They  were  my  father's  two 
wives.  One,  yellow  and  withered,  though  she 
was  only  thirty-six,  apparently  an  invalid,  who 
walked  dragging  her  sandals,  wore  a  sort  of  lilac 
silk  pelisse  trimmed  with  fur,  falling  over  panta- 
loons of  green  silk  ;  on  her  head  and  brow,  hidden 
in  a  little  turban  of  silver  gauze,  a  large  band  of 
diamonds  as  large  as  peas  formed  a  sort  of  dia- 
dem which  proclaimed  her  the  matron.  The 
other,  on  the  contrary,  was  very  young,  original, 
and  charming,  her  eyes  greatly  enlarged  by  a 
black  circle.  She  had  a  small,  delicate  head  and 
features  of  statuesque  regularity — not  appearing 
older  than  myself.  A  robe  of  rose-colored  satin, 
very  open  in  the  neck,  which  sparkled  with  dia- 
monds, showed  her  graceful  figure  ;  and  the  bag- 
gy pantaloons  of  cherry  silk  appeared  below  the 
short  skirt.  Her  hair  was  divided  into  a  multi- 
tude of  little  plaits,  and,  intermingled  with  se- 
quins, covered  her  back. 

My  father  presented  me  to  both,  adding  that 
he  depended  on  them  to  render  the  customs  of 
the  harem  pleasant  to  me.  The  first,  Zeinab-Ha- 
num,  the  old  enemy  of  my  mother,  and  cause  of 
my  long  exile,  bent  earnestly  upon  me  a  gaze  of 
which  the  hardness  still  remained,  though  the 
brightness  was  extinguished.  The  second,  Saida- 
Hanum,  kissed  me  very  gently  on  each  cheek. 
Then  came  my  sisters'  and  brothers'  turn.  First, 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  19 

Hosna,  aged  twenty,  eldest  daughter  of  Zeinab, 
dressed  even  more  magnificently  than  Saida,  with 
the  same  lavish  use  of  kohl,  of  henna,  and  of 
precious  stones.  Her  extraordinary  embonpoint 
amazed  me.  Notwithstanding  the  sweetest  of 
smiles,  I  suspect  we  shall  never  be  friends.  Then 
Farideh,  nineteen,  with  auburn-tinted  hair,  Paris- 
ian costume,  and  eye-glasses.  I  was  amazed  at 
her.  Smilingly  she  said,  "  Good  morning "  in 
French.  She  seems  a  very  nice  person.  My  fa- 
ther then  named  my  other  brothers  and  sisters — 
Sulema,  Aisse",  Fatma,  Cartoum,  Said,  Ahmed, 
Ibrahim,  and  Fahahry — according  to  their  ages  ; 
the  boys,  not  being  yet  seven  years  old,  still  min- 
gled with  the  girls.  This  little  crowd  shyly  re- 
ceived me  with  gentle  kisses.  I  exerted  myself 
to  the  utmost  at  this  ceremonial,  excusing  myself 
for  my  ignorance,  through  which  I  might  per- 
haps offend  some  of  their  most  cherished  ideas. 
Farideh  inquired  how,  having  once  dwelt  in  Paris, 
I  could  bear  to  live  so  far  away  from  it. 

"The  affection  that  I  shall  find  here  will  con- 
sole me  for  that  which  I  lose,"  I  replied. 

This  answer  won  for  me  the  approval  of  Zei- 
nab, and  another  kiss  from  Saida.  We  soon  took 
leave  of  my  family,  my  father  excusing  me  on  the 
score  of  a  fatiguing  journey,  and  conducting  me 
to  my  own  apartment;  for,  with  a  kind  fore- 
thought for  my  Christian  education,  he  has  as- 
signed me  an  apartment  where  I  can  be  free  to 


20  THE  RETURN  OP  THE  PRINCESS. 

continue  my  home  habits  of  civilization.  I  have 
my  own  house,  one  of  the  wings  of  the  palace, 
with  a  door  opening  on  the  garden,  and  my  own 
attendants,  so  that  I  can  be  perfectly  independent. 
A  sort  of  gallery  inclosed  in  glass,  with  camelias 
and  other  flowers  from  one  end  to  the  other,  sepa- 
rates my  harem  from  that  of  Zeinab  and  Saida. 
My  rez-de-chaussee  is  the  pretty  hall  in  the  form 
of  a  rotunda  of  which  I  have  already  told  you, 
and  a  grand  saloon  where  I  shall  receive  my  vis- 
itors. I  had  scarcely  entered  when  a  woman 
rushed  forward  and  fell  at  my  feet. 

"  This  is  Nazly,  your  nurse,"  said  my  father. 

I  raised  her  and  took  her  in  my  arms.  Twen- 
ty slaves  then  came  to  kiss  the  hem  of  my  robe, 
and  it  appears  I  have  others  still.  "  But  Egypt 
is  ruined." 

A  staircase,  paved  with  little  mosaics,  in  the 
middle  of  which  is  placed  a  thick  carpet,  leads 
to  the  first  floor.  There  my  nest  is,  a  bijou  of  a 
boudoir,  where  the  most  refined  European  is 
mingled  with  the  most  fantastic  Oriental  luxury  ; 
then  comes  my  chamber,  and  next  it  Bell's.  Birds, 
penetrating  perfumes,  the  bright  horizon,  and 
tropical  plants,  heightened  still  more  the  effect 
of  the  brilliant  stuffs  and  the  harmonious  combi- 
nation of  tone.  I  am  forgetting  to  tell  you  that 
my  chamber  possesses  a  bed  ! — a  veritable  bed  in 
gilded  silver,  which  is,  it  appears,  a  recherche  ex- 
otic. Bell  will  be  compelled  to  teach  my  women 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  21 

how  to  arrange  it.  It  is  a  new  art  for  them  ;  as 
here  they  all  sleep  on  divans. 

"  Behold  your  home,"  said  my  father. 

For  a  last  time  he  took  my  hands,  and  kissing 
me  on  the  forehead — 

"  Rest  yourself ;  and  above  all  do  not  regret 
too  much — " 

"I  have  forgotten  all  in  seeing  you,"  I  an- 
swered. 

And  this  was  true.     Are  you  not  jealous  ? 

As  soon  as  I  was  alone  with  Bell  and  Nazly, 
I  began  to  examine  my  domain  in  detail.  A  sort 
of  wardrobe  was  arranged  as  a  dressing-room. 
All  the  trunks  were  open  and  empty.  Oh,  dear- 
est, the  marvelous  clothing  !  We  unfolded  all : 
feredg&s  of  moire,  lace  veils,  Damascus  silks, 
Brussels  mantillas,  and  all  the  exquisite  phanta- 
sies of  the  Oriental  costume.  Bell  was  in  ecsta- 
sies. I  felt  a  certain  malice  in  recalling  our  fa- 
mous ruin  to  her  memory.  I  ran  from  room  to 
room,  dazzled,  charmed,  looking  at  everything, 
touching  everything,  going  from  one  object  to 
another,  to  retrace  my  steps,  as  I  was  drawn  back 
by  some  new  thing  T  had  passed  over.  My  bou- 
doir, particularly,  enchants  me.  The  walls  of 
white  Chinese  satin  are  wadded  and  caught  with 
pearls.  From  the  cupola  in  the  center  of  the 
ceiling  depends  a  filigree  luster,  the  very  work 
of  Arachne,  with  glass  pendents  of  the  softest 
rose-color.  My  divan  is  of  cloth  of  gold,  my 


22  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

tables  inlaid  with  turquoise,  and  for  a  carpet  I 
have  ermine.  Behold,  what  an  Eastern  dream ! 
Weary  of  admiring,  I  returned  to  the  hall.  It 
was  the  dinner-hour,  and  the  thoughtfulness  of 
my  father  had  been  exercised  even  there,  for  they 
served  me  in  the  French  style  ;  but  I  did  justice 
also  to  some  Arab  sweets  they  sent  me  from  the 
great  harem.  I  have  passed  this  evening  in  writ- 
ing you,  though  my  letter,  which  I  shall  send  by 
the  English  courier  to  save  time,  can  not  leave 
for  three  days.  Yet  I  have  not  been  slow  to  share 
my  enchantment  with  you.  I  hastened  to  tell  you 
immediately  of  this  arrival  I  have  so  dreaded. 
Momently  I  put  down  my  pen  to  gaze  around. 
How  strange  everything  seems  !  Seated  at  my 
feet,  Nazly,  with  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  looks 
at  me  with  adoration.  She  was  the  one  who  took 
me  to  France.  Poor,  dear  creature  !  She  loved 
my  mother  ;  she  was  from  the  same  country  ; 
both  were  Circassians.  Bell  comes  to  tell  me  it 
is  very  late,  and  insists  I  must  be  tired.  I  believe 
she  is  right.  To-morrow,  then,  dearest,  we  will 
continue  our  conversation. 


III. 

You  will  not  be  astonished  that  this  morning, 
on  awakening,  I  found  it  necessary  to  recall  my 
recollections.  I  felt  as  if  I  was  returning  from  a 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  23 

flight  into  fairyland.  My  glance  fell  upon  your 
portrait,  which  Bell  had  had  the  delicate  pr'eve- 
nance  of  placing  before  my  bed,  and  my  memory 
returned.  Dear  Martha,  from  the  heart  of  this 
sumptuous  chamber,  from  my  home  of  a  princess, 
I  send  a  sigh  of  regret  for  my  young  girl's  nest, 
resounding  with  the  noise  of  our  outbursts  of 
morning  laughter.  What  are  you  doing  now  ? 
You  are  thinking  perhaps  of  me,  awaiting  a  letter 
impatiently,  asking  yourself  all  that  I  am  now 
trying  to  bring  before  you.  The  excitement  of 
the  voyage,  this  new  family,  this  luxury,  these 
strange  customs,  have  overwhelmed  me  at  first 
and  stunned  me.  I  had  nearly  forgotten  you  in 
this  tumult  of  surprises  and  emotions.  Calm 
now,  rested  from  all  my  fatigues,  in  the  quiet  of 
my  curiosity,  you  were  the  first  whom  I  sought. 
My  second  thought  was  of  my  father.  My  fa- 
ther ! — I  have  a  father  !  How  sweet  this  word  is 
for  me  to  say  !  How  quickly  I  have  become  ac- 
customed to  the  charm  of  an  affection  of  which 
until  now  I  knew  nothing  !  Oh,  yes,  Martha,  he 
is  good,  and  he  loves  me.  What  care  for  my 
happiness !  What  thoughtf ulness  to  accustom 
me  by  degrees  to  a  change  of  life  so  abrupt  and 
strange  !  He  will  be  everything  to  me.  He  will 
take  the  place  of  all  the  dear  affections  of  my 
childhood,  and,  to  resign  myself  to  your  loss,  I 
shall  love  him  all  the  more. 

I  had  slept  badly,  and  rose  very  early.     The  ha- 


24  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

rem — mistresses  and  slaves — still  slept.  As  a  child 
would  run,  rather  anxious  on  awaking,  about  a 
new  toy  which  it  fears  to  have  lost  while  sleeping, 
I  slowly  recommenced  an  inspection  of  my  dwell- 
ing, to  convince  myself  that  some  malicious  genie 
had  not  destroyed  it  by  enchantment.  All  remained 
the  same.  My  birds  were  flying  among  the  flow- 
ers of  the  veranda.  The  gardens  under  my  windows 
spread  out  immense  and  magnificent ;  the  light- 
blue  sky  was  lost  in  the  dark-green  shadow  of  the 
trees.  Peeping  through  the  leaves  could  be  seen 
golden  apples  and  the  ripe  fruits  of  the  orange- 
and  citron-trees.  They  had  not  been  gathered, 
so  that  they  could  longer  delight  and  perfume.  I 
called  Bell  and  Nazly,  and  we  all  three  went  down 
into  the  garden. 

It  is  now  the  1st  of  December,  but  it  is  sum- 
mer here  —  summer  with  the  delightfulness  of 
spring,  with  richest  coloring,  luxuriant  flowers,  a 
serenity  that  is  bright  and  gay.  I  went  under 
domes  of  magnolias  in  bloom,  stopping  at  parterres 
of  roses,  and  gathering  them  without  stint.  Bell 
and  Nazly  bent  under  the  load.  We  thus  reached 
one  of  the  pavilions,  which  I  entered.  A  portico, 
divided  into  several  compartments,  surrounded  a 
marble  basin,  in  the  waters  of  which  the  blue  sky 
was  reflected.  This  is  our  bath.  I  was  astonished 
to  find  there  games,  pieces  of  needle-work,  some 
chibouks,  and  an  assortment  of  nargiles  ;  but 
Nazly  tells  me  that  the  women  of  the  harem 


THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  25 

spend  many  hours  there,  eating,  smoking,  and 
often  dancing. 

When  I  returned,  my  attendants  were  await- 
ing me.  They  relieved  me  of  my  prize,  and  orna- 
mented some  baskets  under  my  direction.  They 
were  all  so  young,  graceful  and  pretty,  with  their 
beautiful  dresses,  that  I  greatly  admired  them. 
They  look  like  daughters  of  sultans,  and  yet  they 
are  only  poor  slaves,  whose  sole  business  is  to 
serve  and  please  me.  I  had  finished  my  breakfast, 
when  I  saw  my  father  enter,  and  I  ran  to  him, 
holding  up  my  brow  to  be  kissed. 

"  I  come  to  inquire  after  your  health,"  he  said, 
"  and  to  have  a  long  talk  with  you." 

He  drew  me  to  the  veranda,  and  made  me  sit 
beside  him. 

"  I  strongly  suspect,"  he  cried,  smiling,  "  that 
you  are  a  spoiled  child." 

"Why?" 

"From  the  manner  in  which  you  described 
the  family  who  had  charge  of  you,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  they  have  greatly  spoiled  you." 

"  Will  not  you  continue  to  do  the  same  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  render  your  prison 
more  attractive — for,  after  your  European  life, 
the  harem  must  seem  nearly  a  prison  to  you — 
but  I  can  not  release  you  from  the  customs  which 
are  established  among  us.  You  must  submit  to 
them  without  rebellion  or  murmuring." 

He  then  explained  to  me  that,  in  allowing  me 


26  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

my  own  home,  and  the  privilege  of  living  there 
in  my  own  fashion,  taking  my  French  repasts, 
and  preserving  all  my  Parisian  habits,  he  imposed 
on  me  the  duty  of  extreme  deference  to  Zeinab- 
Hanum  and  her  daughter  Hosnah,  my  eldest  sister. 

"I  have  no  necessity  to  speak  of  Saida,"  he 
said,  "  for  I  am  sure  you  will  be  friends." 

It  was  very  requisite,  then,  that  I  should  not 
keep  aloof  from  the  grand  harem.  I  must  show 
myself  docile  and  observant  of  all  their  forms  of 
etiquette,  which  would  very  soon  become  familiar 
to  me. 

"  My  visits  to  your  apartments  are  very  serious 
departures  from  our  usual  habits,"  he  continued. 
"  I  must  only  see  you  in  the  midst  of  your  family. 
Yet  I  will  try  to  steal  in  sometimes  ;  but  this 
must  be  a  secret  between  us." 

I  promised  what  he  required  with  a  submis- 
sion that  delighted  him. 

"  Do  you  know  that  I  am  utterly  surprised  to 
find  you  so  intelligent  and  reasonable  ?  " 

"  Father,  you  are  a  flatterer." 

"  No,  I  am  proud  of  you." 

He  continued  his  directions,  and  my  course  of 
life  is  arranged  :  rights  and  duties  are  clearly  de- 
fined ;  the  code  can  not  be  infringed.  I  can  act 
as  I  choose  between  the  high  walls  of  Chimilah, 
but  I  can  not  go  beyond  them,  except  in  a  coach 
accompanied  by  some  women,  and  escorted  after 
our  Eastern  mode. 


THE  RETURN    OF  THE  PRINCESS.  27 

My  father  instructed  me  then  in  the  details  of 
governing  my  house.  The  management  of  things 
outside  devolves  on  the  eunuchs  ;  their  chief,  who 
represents  me  outside,  is  quite  a  personage.  The 
control  of  the  slaves  belongs  to  the  chiaia — that 
is  to  say,  to  my  dear  Nazly. 

"  In  short,  you  have  only  to  float  along,"  he 
concluded ;  "  you  will  very  soon  have  plenty  of 
company,  and  amusements  will  not  be  lacking." 

In  the  course  of  our  conversation  I  made  in- 
quiries about  my  brother  Ali.  He  has  a  mission 
in  the  provinces.  I  am  anxious  to  know  this  son 
of  my  mother,  educated,  like  myself,  far  from  his 
own  people.  My  father's  manner  of  speaking 
proves  that  he  loves  him,  but  he  did  not  conceal 
from  me  the  grief  that  his  marriage  has  caused 
him.  Ali  has  married  an  infidel — an  English- 
woman who  is  not  received  at  Chimilah.  Though 
I  dared  not  venture  a  remark,  this  ostracism  ap- 
pears to  me  a  little  barbarous. 

My  father  had  just  left  me,  when  a  knocking 
was  heard.  It  was  Saida-Hanum,  my  young  step- 
mother. She  hastened  to  embrace  me. 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Seventeen  and  a  half." 

"  I  am  sixteen.     Will  you  be  my  friend  ?  " 

"Withal!  my  heart." 

The  compact  sealed,  we  had  a  very  pleasant 
talk.  It  appears  that  my  arrival  has  upset  every- 
thing. The  manner  in  which  my  father  had 


28  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

treated  me  was  the  most  amazing  of  all.  Heaven 
only  knows  all  the  questions  she  had  to  ask  me. 
To  her  the  word  Europe  seemed  to  have  a  won- 
derful and  alarming  effect.  With  the  attractive, 
coquettish  airs  of  a  young  savage,  she  eagerly 
ferreted  in  my  still  full  trunks,  dying  to  try  on 
everything  ;  then  she  again  turned  to  me,  asking 
a  thousand  explanations,  listening  amazed  and 
incredulous,  frequently  interrupting  me  in  her 
childish  way  to  show  the  difference  between  Mo- 
hammedan and  other  customs.  Far  from  envying 
the  liberty  of  Christian  women,  she  testified  a 
lively  terror  of  them.  What !  to  go  out  alone, 
without  a  veil ;  to  speak  to  men  ;  to  have  to  think 
for  one's  self  ;  to  watch  over  one's  self  ;  to  direct 
one's  own  life  !  What  work  it  must  be  ;  what  a 
care  ;  what  difficulty  !  She  was  astonished  that 
the  good  God  had  created  women  for  them  to 
suffer  in  such  work. 

Very  soon  again  we  were  chattering  nonsense, 
and  laughing  like  children.  She  spoke  of  Zeinab, 
who  was  called  the  "  Great  Lady,"  as  was  the 
custom,  and  in  virtue  of  the  precedence  of  her 
age  and  rank,  and  she  irreverently  mimicked 
her. 

"And  what  do  they  call  you?"  I  asked, 
"  The  Durrah,  which  means  paroquet !  " 
When  we  had  chatted  a  long  time,  she  said  : 
"  I  came   to   carry  you  over  to  the  harem  ; 
they  are  impatiently  awaiting  you  ;  but  first  I 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  29 

must  dress  you.  You  are  a  Hanum-Effendim 
now." 

She  called  Nazly,  and,  with  the  abandon  of  a 
child,  she  carried  me  into  the  dressing-room, 
where  my  slaves  were  busy  putting  things  in 
order.  It  was  difficult  for  her  to  decide,  but 
after  many  doubts  my  little  step-mother  was 
satisfied. 

Drawing  me  away  from  the  mirror,  assisted 
by  Nazly,  she  proceeded  to  transform  me.  The 
work  required  time,  for  each  detail  entailed  a 
fresh  consultation.  Saida-Hanum  wished  me  to 
look  beautiful.  When  they  had  adjusted  the  last 
bracelet,  they  solemnly  led  me  to  a  mirror,  and  I 
will  own  that  I 'was  struck  with  surprise  and  won- 
der. A  robe  of  gold  lama  gauze,  open  in  front, 
was  cut  in  three  lappets  of  equal  length,  the  one 
in  the  middle  of  the  back  forming  a  train,  the 
two  others  crossing  each  other  and  caught  up  at 
the  waist.  My  sash  alone  defined  my  figure. 
Under  this  robe  very  large  pantalets  of  white 
silk  fell  over  my  ankles,  half  covering  my  slippers, 
which  were  embroidered  with  pearls.  But,  more 
than  all,  my  eyes  amazed  me,  for  a  line  of  kohl 
increased  them  to  an  immense  size.  These  won- 
derful eyes  made  the  red  of  my  lips  intense. 
Shall  I  own,  Martha,  that  for  a  moment  of  un- 
speakable pride  I  found  myself  nearly  pretty  ? 

My  entrance  into  the  harem  caused  a  lively 
sensation.  I  remembered  my  father's  instructions 


30  THE   RETURN   OF  THE   PRINCESS. 

and  went  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  Great  Lady, 
who  lisped  a  few  words  without  rising  from  her 
cushions.  The  others  all  crowded  round  me,  for 
you  can  readily  imagine  I  was  a  curiosity.  I  think 
their  character  is  simply  a  blending  of  egotism 
and  childishness.  After  an  hour  or  so  they  be- 
came accustomed  to  my  presence.  Zeinab,  lying 
on  her  divan,  smoked  silently.  Some  sat  in  a  cir- 
cle listening  to  a  story-teller,  and  others  sang, 
playing  darbouJcas  and  beating  tarabouks,  the 
noise  of  which  did  not  seem  to  annoy  the  hanums 
in  the  least.  My  youngest  sisters  chased  each 
other  in  pursuit  of  a  gauze-fly — an  Eastern  token 
of  cheerfulness.  Through  the  open  doors  the 
noise  of  the  women  and  children  Veached  the  gar- 
dens, like  a  short  recreation  of  prisoners.  In  the 
midst  of  all  this  the  eunuch  remained  grave  and 
solemn,  occasionally  vouchsafing  a  grim  smile  at 
some  pretty  slave — some  Circassian  who,  freighted 
with  beauty,  was  decorating  the  house  with  mag- 
nificent flowers. 

My  duty  to  my  family  accomplished,  I  returned 
to  my  own  apartments  and  found  Bell.  Need  I 
say  of  whom  we  spoke  ?  Ah  !  dearest  Martha, 
if  you  were  only  here  ! 


IV. 

THREE  weeks   have   flown,  my  well-beloved, 
and,  recovered  from  my  surprise  and  amazement, 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  31 

I  can  now  exactly  relate  to  you  this  new  life  of 
your  poor  Miriam.  This  singular  return  to  my 
family,  to  this  unknown  fireside  where  I  came  as 
a  stranger,  in  vain  seeking  some  distant  recollec- 
tion, some  link  to  attach  me  to  it,  often  causes 
me  incredible  amazement,  and  in  the  heart  of  this 
palace,  under  these  skies  of  unchanging  blue,  in  the 
midst  of  these  flowery  gardens,  I  frequently  ask 
myself  if  all  is  more  than  some  curious  dream. 
All  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  harem  are  so 
strange  to  me  that  it  is  an  effort  to  recognize  my- 
self in  this  rdle  of  an  Arab  princess  surrounded 
by  slaves.  The  sweet  and  tender  idea  that  I  was 
to  meet  a  family  has  quickly  vanished,  as  you  can 
conceive,  disconcerted  by  the  confused  crowd, 
who  first  made  me  realize  my  isolation.  You 
know  I  am  brave  ;  the  reaction  has  taken  place, 
and,  with  a  heart  full  of  love  for  my  father,  I  have 
come  to  hope  only  in  him.  In  asking,  dearest,  an 
exact  account  of  the  employment  of  the  days  of 
your  Scheherezade,  as  you  style  me,  you  greatly 
embarrass  me.  It  is  not  that  the  programme  is 
very  complicated;  but  this  strange  course  of  life 
resembles  the  ideal  so  litle  that  in  truth  I  can  not 
compare  it  to  anything  that  we  have  conceived, 
so  as  to  describe  its  mingled  charm  and  emptiness. 
It  has  a  stream  of  ideas  and  impressions  which 
one  must  have  experienced  to  understand.  Is  this 
living  ?  Is  it  dreaming  ?  I  do  not  know,  for  the 
height  of  these  enjoyments  may  be  summed  up  in 


32  THE  RETURN   OF   THE  PRINCESS. 

three  words — eating,  drinking,  sleeping — but  these 
are  done  in  a  Eastern,  that  is  to  say,  indolent  and 
magnificent  manner.  One  rises  late,  takes  a  bath, 
dresses,  nibbles  a  little,  lounges  on  the  divan,  lis- 
tens to  the  chattering  of  the  slaves,  and  awaits 
the  visit  of  the  master.  Add  to  this,  some  sailing 
in  dahabiehs  on  the  Nile,  or  drives  in  a  coach  un- 
der the  shady  groves  of  Choubrah,  and  you  will 
have  an  idea  of  this  daily  life,  which,  despite  all 
its  sumptuous  surroundings,  is  as  monotonous  as 
the  blue  stream  that  flows  under  my  windows  up- 
on its  bed  of  golden  sand.  Yet  there  are  hours 
the  indescribable  charm  of  which  I  can  not  de- 
fine. In  the  evening,  by  the  light  of  the  lusters, 
the  gavazies  dancing  to  the  music  of  their  in- 
struments, the  young  slaves  shaking  in  the  air 
their  hands  moistened  with  rose-water,  waiters 
passed  around  laden  with  sherbet,  the  nargiles 
and  chibouks  mixing  their  smoke  in  a  light  cloud 
which  escapes  through  the  perfuming  -  pan  in 
which  they  burn  lumps  of  amber,  the  light  gleam- 
ing upon  the  stones  and  rich  dresses — all  these 
make  the  time  fly,  by  absorption  of  being  in  a 
sentiment  at  once  material  and  ecstatic. 

My  natural  idleness  fits  me  well  for  this  course 
of  life,  where  one  scarcely  takes  the  trouble  to 
form  a  wish;  though  my  Parisian  tastes,  you  will 
readily  comprehend,  demand  some  diversion  from 
this  superb  far  niente.  You  have  already  di- 
vined that  I  isolate  myself  from  this  pretty  femi- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  33 

nine  flock,  whose  whole  intelligence  scarcely  rises 
beyond  the  admiration  of  a  pearl  or  the  choice 
of  a  slipper.  At  my  own  home  with  Bell  and 
Nazly,  I  spend  my  time  in  this  manner  :  I  read, 
I  write,  I  dream.  Then,  as  Saida  says,  I  am  a 
Frenchwoman. 

My  pretty  Durrah,  now  my  friend,  soon  made 
me  aufait  to  all  the  can-cans  of  the  harem  ;  and 
I  am  now  well  informed  on  the  usages.  This 
union  of  Zeinab  and  Saida,  as  incomprehensible 
and  puzzling  as  it  appears  to  you,  is  here  the  sim- 
plest thing  in  the  world.  The  laws  of  the  coun- 
try allow  each  to  have  her  own  harem,  but  they 
never  have  felt  the  need  of  invoking  the  law, 
and  together  form  an  admirable  household.  The 
Great  Lady  is  nearly  a  mother  to  the  Durrah. 
Far  from  being  jealous  of  her  juvenile  beauty, 
she  willingly  decorates  her  with  her  own  hands, 
giving  most  judicious  advice  about  placing  the 
henna,  which,  with  Zeinab,  they  say  has  reached 
the  highest  degree  of  art.  Saida,  on  her  side, 
treats  Zeinab  with  all  the  respect  of  a  daughter : 
she  does  not  plume  herself  too  much  on  her  in- 
fluence as  favorite,  but  puts  that  influence  very 
amiably  at  the  service  of  the  Great  Lady.  In 
short,  they  divide  the  sovereignty  of  the  harem. 

Zeinab  has  kept  up  a  reverence  for  the  tradi- 
tions, wonderfully  understanding  all  the  forms  of 
etiquette  and  ceremonies  of  Mussulman  home-life. 
Saida  only  desires  jewels  and  dresses.  She  frolics 
3 


34  THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

like  a  child  with  her  slaves,  surrounding  herself 
with  the  youngest,  while  the  eldest  naturally 
group  around  the  severe  spouse.  It  is  a  very 
strange  spectacle  to  see  the  two  enthrone  them- 
selves at  each  extremity  of  the  immense  hall,  the 
one  gravely  lying  on  her  divan,  smoking  her  nar- 
gile,  drowsy,  exhausted,  sometimes  raising  her- 
self on  her  cushions  to  speak  with  the  chiaia  or 
with  some  eunuch  ;  the  other,  dazzling  as  the  sun, 
laughing,  eager  for  new  games,  mixing  in  the  sing- 
ing and  dancing.  Sa'ida  pointed  out  to  me  Fari- 
deh's  mother,  a  Greek  slave,  whom  the  rules  of 
Oriental  etiquette  prevent  from  seating  herself 
in  her  daughter's  presence.  The  name  of  Farideh 
alone  always  brings  a  peal  of  laughter  from  the 
lips  of  my  step-mother.  On  the  other  hand,  she 
evades  all  questions  about  my  sister  Hosnah.  Her 
voice  changes,  even,  in  pronouncing  her  name. 
She  seems  to  be  afraid  of  her. 

I  have  not  seen  Hosnah  again  since  she  left 
Cairo,  on  the  morning  of  my  arrival,  for  her  home 
at  Mansourah  ;  but  Farideh  has  been  to  Chimi- 
lah.  If  I  had  allowed  it,  she  would  have  upset 
everything  in  my  pretty  boudoir,  so  as  to  crowd 
it  with  trash  from  the  French  bazaar,  the  refuse 
from  the  Marseilles  shops.  She  spoke  with  much 
animation  of  her  Parisian  dresses,  and  her  hatred 
of  Hosnah,  giving  me  the  reason  for  the  latter 
feeling.  It  seems  that  the  "  Cai'rine  gentry  "  are 
divided  into  two  female  parties,  which  my  two 


THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  35 

sisters  represent.  Hosnah  heads  that  of  Old 
Egypt,  the  ultras,  the  adherents  of  old  forms, 
while  Farideh  leads  the  schism — the  opposition 
— in  favor  of  reform  and  a  new  future. 

Now,  dearest,  you  know  my  mode  of  life.  I 
see  you  smile.  But,  what  can  I  do  ?  Yes  !  some- 
thing is  wanting,  and  sometimes  I  am  a  prey  to 
the  feelings  of  loneliness  which  so  much  oppressed 
me  at  first.  My  father  is  not  always  here  ;  yet 
what  I  scarcely  dared  to  hope  for  has  come  to 
pass.  He  often  comes  to  surprise  me  in  the 
morning,  and  we  converse  as  friends,  sometimes 
in  Arabic,  sometimes  in  French,  mingling  the 
two  at  will.  He  is  thoroughly  unreserved,  even 
going  so  far  as  to  confide  to  me  secrets  of  state, 
so  you  can  think  how  proud  I  feel.  You  can  not 
tell  what  a  charming  bond  of  tenderness  unites 
us  ;  and  the  little  air  of  mystery  which  surrounds 
his  visits  decks  them  with  a  romantic  charm. 
As  you  can  readily  imagine,  in  our  conversations 
I  have  inquired  into  the  great  business — the  prin- 
cipal motive  of  my  recall !  It  is  the  settlement 
of  the  young  princess.  As  yet,  this  is  only 
a  threat  ;  no  plans  are  formed,  so  I  can  still 
laugh. 

One  of  my  pleasures,  you  may  know,  is  to 
speak  with  JSTazly  about  my  mother.  Zeinab,  the 
first  wife — the  grande  dame — is  the  daughter  of 
a  pasha.  My  mother  was  a  poor  slave,  with 
whom  my  father  fell  in  love,  and  was  a  Durrah, 


36  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

like  Saida — a  reason  which  makes  me  love  my  lit- 
tle step-mother. 

While  I  am  writing,  the  hour  of  siesta  has 
sounded.  Silence  descends  upon  the  palace. 
Some  slaves  are  lying  at  my  feet  asleep.  What 
a  pretty  tableau  !  There  is  one  of  them,  particu- 
larly, a  Smyrniote  of  about  fourteen  years  of  age, 
with  hair  and  lashes  of  jet.  Poor  little  one ! 
Where  are  her  family  !  In  looking  on  her,  I  no 
longer  dare  to  complain.  Well,  dearest,  I,  too, 
must  go  to  sleep.  Shall  I  tell  you  my  foolish  be- 
lief ?  I  am  sure  I  shall  see  you  in  my  dreams. 

Great  news  !     My  brother  Ali  has  arrived  ! 


V. 

As  you  may  conceive,  our  first  interview  was 
a  momentous  affair.  My  father  brought  Ali  to 
my  house.  During  the  first  few  moments  we 
stood  before  each  other  silent  and  immovable, 
both  seized  with  the  same  agitation.  Suddenly 
my  brother  held  out  his  hands,  and  I  put  mine 
in  them,  and  a  little  later  we  were  seated  together 
on  the  divan. 

"  What  a  pretty  surprise  you  are,  sister  !  "  he 
said,  touched  and  charmed. 

He  looked  at  me,  and  I  could  not  remove  my 
eyes  from  his  face.  My  father  left  us  alone. 

Ali  is  twenty  years  of  age.     Of  medium  size, 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  37 

there  is  an  air  of  rare  elegance  about  him.  His 
great  velvet  eyes  alone  betray  his  Eastern  origin. 
His  smile  is  refined,  but  slightly  malicious,  veiled 
by  a  long,  black  mustache.  He  is  vivacious  and 
witty,  with  an  indolent,  attractive  grace,  the  strik- 
ing charm  of  which  I  can  not  describe.  It  was 
a  true  happiness  to  find  each  other  again,  to  make 
each  other's  acquaintance,  so  to  speak,  after  so 
many  years  of  separation  and  forgetfulness.  Be- 
ing older  than  myself,  Ali  had  retained  a  recol- 
lection of  me.  He  recalled  a  thousand  little  in- 
cidents of  our  childhood,  which  seemed  to  awake 
in  his  mind  as  an  image  half  effaced,  in  which 
one  feature  often  suffices  to  decide  the  contour. 
He  spoke  of  our  mother,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that,  far  off  as  that  time  was,  I  could  go  back 
with  him.  I  took  up  those  visions  of  the  past  so 
full  of  melancholy  and  of  sweetness,  and  these 
dear  memories  suddenly  renewed  the  interrupted 
link  of  our  fraternal  relations.  The  exile  we  both 
had  undergone  was  yet  another  bond  of  affection. 
We  thought  aloud,  exchanging  our  sentiments 
and  betraying  in  our  hearts  the  affinity  of  feeling 
deep  in  our  souls. 

We  talked  a  long  time,  and  he  enlarged  on  a 
subject  of  which  they  never  speak  in  the  family. 
I  have  told  you  already  that  my  brother  married 
an  infidel.  The  history  of  their  union  is  romantic 
and  touching.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  Ali  re- 
turned from  England  wild  with  love  for  a  poor 


38  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

but  noble  young  girl.  After  having  refused  his 
consent  for  a  long  time,  my  father  yielded  to  the 
overwhelming  despair  of  his  son.  They  have 
been  married  nearly  two  years  now,  and,  though 
she  has  yielded,  with  the  best  grace  in  the  world, 
to  all  the  observances  of  a  Mussulman  life,  the 
poor  Christian  has  not  been  able  to  disarm  preju- 
dice. My  sisters  do  not  visit  her;  even  my  father, 
good  and  enlightened  as  he  is,  has  never  consent- 
ed to  see  her.  Their  love  suffices  and  consoles 
them,  and  nothing  is  more  charming  than  the 
love  of  Ali  for  his  dear  little  soul. 

"  I  am  very  sure,  Miriam,  that  you  would 
love  my  poor  little  Adilah,"  said  my  brother. 

"  I  love  her  already,  Ali,  because  she  is  your 
wife  ;  and,  besides,  I  feel  a  sympathy  for  her 
loneliness,  without  family  or  friends." 

"  She  knows  that  I  am  with  you  now.  I  can 
not  understand  by  what  intuition  she  should  have 
divined  you  as  you  are.  She  has  even  drawn 
your  portrait  nearly  exactly.  What  a  delight  it 
would  be  for  her  to  see  you  ! " 

"And  for  me  also  !  "  I  cried. 

"  Aias  !  "  he  replied,  "  will  our  father  ever 
permit  you  to  know  her  ?  " 

Though  sharing  this  fear>  I  had  at  heart  a 
secret  hope.  I  confided  it  to  Ali,  without  inspir- 
ing him  with  confidence. 

"The  severity  of  our  father  has  its  weak- 
nesses," I  said  ;  "  he  has  already  yielded  so  much 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  39 

to  me  that  I  can  not  believe  he  will  deprive  us 
both  of  this  happiness." 

"Adilah  is  a  Christian,"  he  answered,  "and 
here  that  is  a  heavy  crime." 

"  Bah  !  our  father  is  too  intelligent — " 

"  Our  father,  alas  !  yields  to  rigid  laws  strong- 
er than  his  will,  my  dear  Miriam." 

A  little  discouraged,  I  had  nothing  to  say. 
We  parted  with  regret,  promising  to  see  each 
other  very  soon. 

This  visit  from  Ali  had  a  very  sweet  effect  on 
me.  I  felt  it  would  fill  the  void  in  which  I  had 
lived  since  my  return.  This  charming  brother 
would  be  a  support  and  a  friend.  Educated  in 
Europe,  and  married  to  a  European,  he  would 
know  how  to  understand  me.  With  him  I  could 
speak  fearlessly  of  the  past  and  of  the  future. 
A  feeling  of  pity,  united  to  a  lively  curiosity, 
seized  me  in  recalling  his  confidences  with  regard 
to  his  marriage.  I  already  adored  this  lonely 
girl,  repulsed  by  a  family  she  vainly  sought  to 
conciliate.  I  could  imagine  her  melancholy,  her 
discouragement,  during  the  long  absences  of  my 
brother,  who,  in  the  discharge  of  his  business,  is 
often  obliged  to  be  away  from  her.  Full  of  these 
thoughts,  I  impatiently  awaited  the  next  morning 
to  talk  over  Ali's  visit  with  my  father.  He  was 
enchanted  to  hear  me  speak  of  the  affection  which 
had  already  arisen  between  us.  Then,  with  in- 
numerable precautions,  I  managed  to  express  my 


40  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

desire  of  knowing  my  sister-in-law ;  but  at  the 
first  words  I  met  with  such  lively  opposition  that 
I  realized  I  was  attacking  scruples  hard  to  van- 
quish. He  appeared  astonished  that  such  an  idea 
had  occurred  to  me. 

"  None  of  your  sisters  visit  her,"  he  said,  as  if 
to  settle  the  matter. 

"  They  !     But  I  ?— " 

He  could  not  repress  a  smile  at  my  obsti- 
nacy. 

"  Oh,  you  ! — you  are  a  little  rebel,"  he  replied. 
"  There  is  no  doubt  of  that." 

"  Well,  then,  that  will  be  the  excuse.  Ali 
will  be  so  happy  !  Nothing  but  a  little  meeting 
— very  mysterious — hidden — " 

"  Hidden  !  You  have  it  all  well  arranged  ! — 
but  I  shall  know  it." 

"No  !  You  shall  shut  your  eyes  —  just  like 
that,"  I  said,  making  a  bandage  of  my  hands  over 
his  eyes. 

"  You  arrange  your  plan  easily." 

"  What  could  be  more  simple  ?  I  will  go  out 
some  day  with  Bell  and  Nazly,  who  will  not  be- 
tray me." 

"  And  your  people  ?  " 

"I  will  stop  at  the  house  of  Nazly 's  sister, 
where  I  will  leave  them.  From  there,  through 
the  little  garden,  we  shall  reach  the  bank  of  the 
Nile.  If  by  chance  Ali's  house  should  be  there, 
what  is  to  be  done  ?  " 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  41 

"  Do  you  not  see  this  scheme,  with  its  risk, 
will  revolutionize  the  family  ?  " 

"  You  are  so  good — and  love  your  rebellious 
daughter  so  much.  Come  !  is  it  agreed  on  ?  " 

"  I  say  nothing  ;  but  take  care  I  do  not  catch 
you  there,"  he  added,  with  one  of  those  sweet 
smiles  which  so  charm  me  in  him. 

Tremble,  Martha  ;  I  had  not  deceived  myself. 
You  have  found  a  rival !  but  I  know  that  your 
tenderness  will  not  turn  to  jealousy,  and  that  you 
will  never  find  I  can  be  too  much  beloved,  nor  too 
happy. 

The  same  morning  that  I  had  wrested  this 
permission  so  hard  to  obtain  from  my  father,  I 
went  out  in  the  carriage  with  Bell  and  Nazly.  I 
have  not  yet  told  you,  I  believe,  that  Nazly  has  a 
sister — the  widow  of  an  officer — who  frequently 
comes  to  see  her.  Desirous  of  showing  some 
token  of  esteem  to  my  good  nurse,  I  have  some- 
times stopped  at  her  house. 

All  was  executed  as  I  had  planned.  On  reach- 
ing Zourah's  house  (her  discretion  is  beyond 
doubt),  we  descended,  and  while  my  people 
awaited  me  at  the  gate  we  went  out  through  the 
garden.  It  was  the  first  time  since  my  residence 
in  Egypt  that  I  had  walked  abroad.  Nazly  guided 
us.  The  path,  bordered  with  India  cane,  with 
spreading  red  flowers,  had  a  sort  of  dazzling  ef- 
fect which  added  to  the  pleasure  of  our  flight. 
The  absence  of  my  keepers,  the  blue  heavens, 


42  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

and  the  calm  of  the  fields  seemed  to  take  my 
breath  away.  In  ten  minutes,  by  following  the 
bank  of  the  river,  we  reached  a  palace,  with  roofs 
in  the  form  of  domes,  of  the  purest  Byzantine 
style.  As  we  attempted  to  enter  the  door,  the 
porters  hastened  to  bar  our  passage.  It  is  not 
easy  to  get  into  an  Arab  house.  By  much  persist- 
ence, governed  perhaps  by  a  certain  command, 
under  which  they  recognized  some  powerful  ha- 
num,  they  allowed  us  to  enter  the  court ;  but 
there  we  encountered  a  still  more  serious  obstacle. 
Luckily,  through  the  thoughtfulness  of  Bell,  who 
had  remembered  to  carry  her  bank-book,  I  got 
round  it.  I  tore  a  leaf  from  it,  and,  writing  my 
name  with  a  pencil,  waited  while  a  eunuch  carried 
it  to  his  master.  My  brother  instantly  ran — wild 
with  joy — and  drew  me  toward  a  flight  of  steps 
on  the  terrace,  leading  to  a  shaded  veranda  car- 
peted with  flowers. 

Scarcely  had  we  entered,  then  he  darted  to 
me,  and  kissed  me  on  my  forehead  above  my  veil. 

"  This  is  against  the  rules  !  "  I  cried. 

"  Here  we  infringe  the  rules,"  he  replied. 

The  rooms  that  we  passed  through  all  exhib- 
ited the  taste  and  comfort  of  an  almost  European 
household.  We  went  alone  without  any  cortege 
of  eunuchs  and  slaves.  Soon  we  reached  the  sa- 
loon, where  the  first  object  that  attracted  my  no- 
tice was  an  open  magnificent  Erard  piano  ;  a  li- 
brary, pictures — but  I  could  observe  no  more,  for 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  43 

an  airy,  floating  form,  rising  from  a  divan,  ran  to 
me,  and  taking  me  in  her  arms  kissed  me  on  each 
cheek.  I  can  never  make  you  understand  the  im- 
pression Adilah  produced  on  me,  nor  the  ravish- 
ing type  of  beauty,  which  took  me  by  storm.  It 
is  dazzling,  like  something  one  dreams  of — angel, 
woman,  nymph,  houri  —  combined.  Imagine  a 
coronal  of  crimped  golden  hair,  an  eye  black  as 
mine,  fringed  with  long  lashes,  which  contrast  ad- 
mirably with  her  English  complexion,  at  the  same 
time  rosy  and  of  milky  whiteness.  The  contrast  is 
so  wonderful  that  one  does  not  think  of  observing 
the  other  features,  which  are  of  rare  perfection. 
Her  expansive  nature  conveys  the  impression  of 
ardent  and  vivacious  youth,  combined  with  ani- 
mated grace,  which  once  seen  is  never  forgot- 
ten. 

"  You  have  much  taste,  brother,"  I  said  to  Ali, 
holding  Adilah  by  the  hand. 

"  Say  much  happiness,  Miriam." 

They  could  not  get  over  the  surprise  my  ap- 
pearance caused  them.  I  had  to  give  an  account 
of  how  I  gained  the  victory;  how  I  had  inter- 
ceded with  my  father,  and  by  what  miracle  I  had 
gained  his  tacit  consent.  Though  an  English- 
woman, Adilah  speaks  French  admirably.  Ali 
has  not  been  able  to  dispense  with  the  exterior 
observances  of  Mussulman  life,  to  which  she  has 
submitted  without  trouble  or  regret,  but  the  in- 
terior of  their  home  had  nothing  of  the  harem 


44  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

about  it.  The  eunuchs  are  there  only  for  form's 
sake,  and  the  slaves  are  servants. 

All  takes  his  meals  with  his  wife.  This  inci- 
dent, which  seems  so  natural  to  you,  is  an  extraor- 
dinary exception  here.  When  the  dinner-hour 
came,  we  went  into  a  dining-room  inclosed  with 
glass,  looking  on  the  Nile.  You  can  never  begin 
to  imagine  my  brother's  manner  to  Adilah — his 
loving  attention,  his  tender  glances  and  smiles  ! 
I  was  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  this  happi- 
ness. They  feel  that  they  are  all  in  all  to  each 
other,  and  that  nothing  exists  or  touches  them 
apart  from  each  other.  He  observed  my  absence 
of  mind. 

"  Why  do  you  not  speak  more,  Miriam  ?  "  he 
inquired. 

"  I  am  looking  at  you  !  " 

Adilah  divined  my  thought. 

"  This  life  will  soon  be  yours,"  she  said,  "  when 
you  are  married." 

I  own  these  words  made  a  very  singular  im- 
pression on  me.  Marriage  is,  in  fact,  the  end  of 
woman's  life.  I  also  shall  marry  as  others  do. 
Do  you  recollect  our  jesting  on  this  subject — and 
how  our  husbands  should  be — with  what  gifts  we 
endowed  them — and  what  miraculous  qualities? 
You  even  made  again  and  again  numerous  pict- 
ures of  mine  ;  I  must  say,  with  shame  at  my  re- 
quirements, you  never  succeeded  in  satisfying  me. 
I  can  not  tell  why,  on  seeing  my  brother  and  his 


THE  RETURN    OF  THE  PRINCESS.  45 

wife,  these  idle  memories  recurred  to  me.  A  live- 
ly curiosity  as  to  the  future  took  possession  of  me. 
What  was  to  be  my  destiny?  At  this  idea  I 
could  not  prevent  a  feeling  almost  of  terror. 

My  too  short  visit  passed  in  calm  and  friendly 
manner.  I  felt  that  they  had  given  me  a  place 
in  their  hearts.  Adilah  took  me  to  the  piano, 
and  I  played  one  of  those  nocturnes  of  Chopin's 
that  you  always  say  make  you  weep.  All  three 
of  us  felt  sad  and  disquieted.  When  Ali's  glance 
met  mine  I  read  the  same  thought  in  his  eyes. 
"  What  if  we  should  not  see  each  other  again  ?  " 
But  we  did  not  part  without  hope  of  future 
meetings. 

I  returned  home  gently  agitated.  I  will  be- 
lieve— I  will  hope.  The  void  in  my  heart  will  be 
filled.  I  have  a  family  who  may  yet  replace  the 
one  I  have  lost.  How  changed  now  appears  my 
life  in  Egypt ! 


VI. 

WHEN  my  father  appeared  the  next  morning, 
I  cried  out :  "  She  is  an  angel !  and  if  you  knew 
her  you  would  adore  her." 

"Who?  What?"  he  asked,  amazed  at  such 
an  explosion. 

I  had  burned  my  ships,  and  before  so  much 
goodness  I  should  have  thought  it  disloyal  not  to 
make  him  a  frank  avowal. 


46  THE   RETURN   OF  THE   PRINCESS. 

"  How  are  your  eyes  this  morning  ?  "  I  asked 
with  effrontery. 

"  My  eyes  !     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"Did  you  not  suffer  yesterday  ?" 

He  looked  into  my  face  and  shook  his  finger 
at  me. 

"You  have  made  some  guilty  escapade." 

I  hung  my  head  like  a  true  hypocrite. 

"  Pardon  !  I  have  deceived  the  best  of  fa- 
thers, to  go  and  see  a  certain  brother  whom  I 
love." 

"Already?" 

Without  noticing  his  interruption  I  related  to 
him  all  the  incidents  of  the  previous  day,  and 
made  him  listen  to  my  admiration  of  Adilah.  It 
was  the  first  time  he  had  heard  her  truly  spoken 
of,  or  even  a  word  in  her  favor.  Ali  never  al- 
ludes to  his  wife.  I  did  not  conceal  the  length  of 
my  visit. 

"  I  am  so  happy,"  I  said,  "  that  you  must  not 
scold  me.  And,  besides,  I  have  not  disobeyed 
you.  You  are  so  good  that  you  did  riot  dictate 
the  time—" 

I  was  not  long  in  securing  pardon. 

"  Your  visit  can  scarcely  be  repeated,  though," 
he  added. 

This  answer  was  rather  categorical,  but  en- 
courged  by  the  result  I  will  be  sure  to  conquer. 
I  am  not  the  daughter  of  my  father  for  nothing. 
In  spite  of  his  decided  tone  and  positive  manner, 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  47 

I  know  the  weakness  which  renders  him  so  ten- 
der and  indulgent  to  me.  At  first  he  will  argue 
— then  I  shall  reason  ;  perhaps  even  he  will  con- 
sent to  become  totally  blind. 

There  exists  between  myself  and  my  little 
step-mother  a  very  pleasant  friendship.  I  defend 
myself  a  little  from  those  childish  outbursts  which 
would  engross  all  my  time.  Though  she  is  very 
much  attached  to  me,  the  poor  little  thing  can 
not  change  or  be  other  than  a  charming  bird. 
We  often  go  out  together.  Nearly  every  day  she 
entices  me  to  Choubrah,  the  tour  du  lac  of  Cairo. 
There  is  the  gorgeous  display  of  equipages  and 
toilets,  the  European  colony  in  great  numbers, 
tourists,  and  harem-carriages  parade  there  in  rich 
array.  Sai'da  has  a  wonderful  tact  in  recognizing 
her  friends  through  their  veils.  Choubrah  is  the 
field  where  the  rival  parties  of  Old  and  Young 
Egypt  wage  their  warfare.  The  contrast  is  so 
striking  that  I  had  remarked  it  even  before  Sa'ida 
mentioned  it :  The  ultras,  retrograde,  shrouded  in 
the  habarah  of  black  silk,  even  their  hands  hid- 
den, and  the  curtains  of  their  carriages  carefully 
drawn  down.  The  new  school,  on  the  contrary, 
wear  the  Turkish  feredje  carelessly  over  the  shoul- 
ders, so  as  to  let  the  Parisian  dress  be  seen.  Up- 
on their  heads  they  wear  an  illusion  bonnet  with 
a  wreath  of  flowers,  and  a  veil  so  thin  as  scarcely 
to  conceal  the  countenance,  and  gloved  hands. 
They  affectedly  coquette  with  passers-by  from  the 


48  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS 

depths  of  their  coupes,  and  with  their  English 
coachmen  and  liveries  do  not  seem  separated 
from  European  manners  except  by  the  fragile 
barrier  of  the  yachmak,  which  scarcely  conceals 
the  features  more  than  your  veils.  Their  eunuchs 
even  keep  at  a  discreet  distance,  as  if  their  func- 
tions were  at  an  end.  These  Parisianized  Arabs 
fraternize  with  the  foreigners,  whom  they  strive 
to  imitate  in  everything  (though  they  despise 
them  as  infidels) — apart  from  that,  intimacy,  quar- 
rels, intrigues,  all  the  outside  show  of  an  amiable 
society  where  each  respects  the  other. 

The  gentle  Durrah  took  me  to  visit  my  sister 
Farideh,  who  is  the  head  of  the  new  party,  and 
I  was  very  agreeably  pleased  with  her,  though 
strange  and  eccentric.  Married  to  a  Turk,  very 
heavy  in  body  and  brain,  she  lives  in  the  midst 
of  the  Esbekieh,  in  a  flashy  new  palace,  only 
distinguishable  from  the  French  houses  by  a  light 
grating  on  the  windows.  An  Italian  architect 
built  this  marvel  of  bad  taste,  which  she  has  dec- 
orated in  French  style,  the  furniture  coming  di- 
rect from  the  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine,  even  to 
the  carpets.  All  around  are  musical  boxes,  me- 
chanical pianos,  etc.  Farideh  adores  noise.  With 
these  curious  tastes,  she  is  a  Cafrene  chronicle, 
and  one  of  the  celebrities  of  the  country.  Visit- 
ors flock  to  her  house  at  all  hours.  They  do  not 
discuss  the  singing  girls  or  the  gavazies,  but  are 
interested  in  conversing  about  the  actresses  of 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  49 

Cairo,  the  Viceroy's  balls,  and  the  Paris  fashions. 
Her  receptions  are  all  the  rage.  Last  year  she 
gave  a  sort  of  French  rout.  Men  being  naturally 
excluded  from  the  harem,  she  had  to  fill  their 
places.  The  largest  of  her  slaves,  dressed  like 
men  in  white  cravats  and  black  suits,  offered  their 
arms  to  the  hanums.  A  dancing-mistress  taught 
them  the  quadrille.  They  acted  their  part  as 
gentlemen  very  awkwardly,  but  the  idea,  as  you 
see,  was  not  wanting  in  originality  :  the  effect 
was  very  fine.  Every  one  spoke  of  it  for  a  month. 
To  finish  the  picture,  an  English  governess  edu- 
cates her  children  ;  her  femme  de  chambre  is  a 
Marseillaise,  which  is  the  reason  that  Farideh 
speaks  French  with  the  accent  of  Canebiere. 

Encouraged  by  the  indulgence  of  my  father, 
you  may  be  sure  I  renewed  my  visits  to  Adilah. 
My  brother  having  duties  at  court,  often  left  us 
alone,  and  confidences  naturally  followed.  Of 
course,  we  speak  of  you.  She  knows  you  and 
loves  you  ;  so  we  are  three  friends.  I  can  not 
describe  the  happiness  that  I  feel  in  this  pretty 
nest  of  love.  When  Ali  returns  one  would  think 
the  heavens  had  opened.  Jesting  charmingly,  he 
relates  to  us  all  the  court  gossip,  which  we  receive 
with  bursts  of  laughter.  While  he  adores  his  wife, 
he  is  still  a  perfect  boy.  Adilah  jested  him  on 
some  little  social  success  at  which  she  pretended 
to  be  jealous.  Elegant,  intellectual,  and  gallant, 
he  plays,  it  seems,  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Eu- 
4 


50  THE   RETURN   OF   THE  PRINCESS. 

ropean  colony.  Even  his  manner  of  wearing  the 
tarbouch  is  imitated. 

The  style  of  living  is  much  like  that  at  Chimi- 
lah.  There  are  fewer  slaves  perhaps,  but  this  is 
a  country  unsurpassed  for  caprice  and  phantasy. 
The  other  day  that  remark  of  my  father's  in  his 
letter  to  M.  Gtitler,  and  which  I  had  nearly  for- 
gotten, recurred  to  me,  and  I  asked  an  explana- 
tion of  it. 

"  Nothing  is  more  true,"  answered  AH,  "  Egypt 
is  ruined  ! " 

"  Decidedly  that  is  nonsense,"  cried  I  laughing. 

"  But  my  dear  Miriam,  we  owe  enormous  sums 
that  we  probably  never  can  pay." 

"  What  will  you  do  about  it  ?  " 

With  his  thoughtless  shifting  of  responsibility, 
he  answered  : 

" That  is  the  business  of  our  wekil" 

This  wekil,  the  superintendent  of  all  respect- 
able Arab  houses,  is  often  very  rich,  at  his  mas- 
ter's cost.  The  great  lords  here  do  not  know  any 
material  trouble  ;  they  are  born  only  to  enjoy 
themselves.  My  father  is  ruined  ! — AH  is  ruined, 
or,  as  he  jestingly  says,  he  has  always  been  poor. 
Hosnah  alone,  in  our  family,  is  rich. 

This  name  of  Hosnah,  drawn  into  our  con- 
versation, led  to  a  remark  of  my  brother's  which 
struck  me. 

"  Listen  to  me,"  he  said,  "  and  be  very  little 
with  her." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  51 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  dahabiehs.  All 
owns  a  charming,  roomy  one.  After  dinner  the 
other  evening,  he  proposed  a  sail  on  the  Nile. 
Lying  under  the  canopy  of  crimson  silk,  I  tried 
to  forget  everything.  The  stream,  flecked  by  the 
moon,  extended  its  limpid  sheet  between  the  som- 
ber banks  of  the  river,  pierced  at  intervals  by 
spots  of  white — the  huts  of  the  Fellahs.  Under 
this  pale  light  of  the  transparent  skies,  where  the 
shade  seemed  a  twilight,  a  guttural  chant  reached 
us  borne  on  the  limpid  air.  The  flowing  of  the 
water  mingled  with  this  savage  melody.  There 
were  in  all  a  quietude,  calm,  and  poesy,  that  I  can 
not  define.  I  listened,  I  looked,  I  dreamed.  Sud- 
denly Adilah  bent  over  me. 

"  Of  what  are  you  thinking  ?  "  she  asked. 

The  truth  was,  I  was  thinking  of  the  happi- 
ness before  my  eyes.  Alas  !  I  sometimes  feel 
lonely — oh,  so  lonely — in  this  life  of  fairy  tales  to 
which  I  have  been  transplanted. 


VII. 

MAETHA  !  an  adventure,  a  true  romance  in  the 
uniform  course  of  my  harem-life. 

It  was  one  of  those  days  when  one  awakens 
glad  at  heart,  when  one  feels  happy  without  cause 
or  reason,  when  I  went  the  other  morning  to 
Adilah' s,  knowing  her  to  be  alone.  A  delightful 


52  THE  RETURN  OP  THE  PRINCESS. 

cry  of  surprise  greeted  me,  for  I  had  come  to 
spend  the  day.  You  can  tell  it  was  to  be  a  fete- 
day.  The  weather  was  superb.  Not  a  breath  of 
air,  but  the  balminess  of  January,  which  is  our 
spring ;  the  trees  with  their  emerald  leaves  and 
the  skies  with  their  purest  azure.  Adilah  led  me 
into  the  garden.  The  gardens  in  Egypt  have  a 
splendor  unknown  to  those  in  Europe.  A  garden 
is  the  only  place  where  a  hanum  has  a  right  to  go 
on  foot — the  boundary  of  her  prison.  Ali  has 
done  wonders  with  his. 

Aviaries  filled  with  rare  birds,  jets  of  water 
falling  in  diamond-dust  upon  hedges  of  oranges 
and  mimosa,  walks  bordered  by  banana-trees, 
dates,  and  bamboo,  parterres  of  lilies,  and,  like  an 
impenetrable  dome,  great  sycamores  mingle  with 
the  palm-trees,  forming  a  thick  shade  which  keeps 
cool  in  the  greatest  heat  of  summer. 

We  reached  a  kiosk  built  upon  the  Nile.  Adi- 
lah passes  there  the  hot  hours  of  the  afternoon, 
those  hours  of  siesta  when  the  entire  town  rests 
and  sleeps.  The  interior  of  this  buen  retiro  is  en- 
chanting. The  walls  are  of  rose-colored  marble, 
with  long  Indian  blinds ;  favorite  books  and  re- 
freshing drinks  are  scattered  around. 

After  chattering  awhile,  I  observed  that  the 
softness  of  fe/*made  my  pretty  sultana  languid, 
and  she  listened  to  me  smiling  in  her  lazy  idle- 
ness. A  sort  of  dullness  weighed  upon  and  op- 
pressed us.  By  degrees  our  conversation  ceased  ; 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  53 

her  eyes  closed,  and  she  slept.  Surprised  by  one 
of  those  vague,  intangible  reveries,  where  images 
meet  and  blend  with  each  other,  I  tasted  in  this 
silence,  this  repose,  a  happiness  purely  physical, 
an  exquisite  sensation  of  quietude  and  peace.  At 
the  extremity  of  the  room  a  window  of  very  deli- 
cate work  forms  a  charming  angle.  Some  sprays 
of  Virginia  jasmine  have  penetrated  through  the 
interstices,  and  are  so  intermingled  with  the  fine 
carving  that  the  window  is  only  a  screen  of  gild- 
ed wood  and  flowers.  While  I  was  mechanically 
looking,  some  of  these  sprigs  loosened,  and  sowed 
with  white  stars  the  wooden  steps  that  led  to  the 
window.  Leaning  my  elbows  on  the  velvet  sill, 
I  inhaled  the  delicious  and  enervating  odors. 
When  my  hand  had  made  an  opening  in  the 
leaves,  I  discovered  that  the  window  looked  out 
on  another  garden  which  was  deserted.  Weeds, 
a  crowd  of  trees,  and  a  carpet  of  high  dry  grass 
were  in  view  everywhere.  Believing  the  place 
uninhabited,  my  eyes  explored  without  ceremony 
this  corner  of  a  wild  paradise,  when  suddenly  I 
perceived,  just  below  me,  a  young  man  seated  at 
a  bamboo  table  upon  which  were  spread  letters 
and  papers  ;  his  head  resting  on  the  back  of  his 
cane  chair,  his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy,  he  ap- 
peared absorbed  in  deep  reverie.  At  first  sight 
I  thought  him  ugly.  His  forehead  was  high,  his 
eyes  dark,  and  at  the  same  time  melancholy  and 
haughty ;  his  profile  irregular,  but  vigorous  and 


54  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

severe.  Everything  about  him  betokened  a  mind 
and  a  will — a  something  which  surprised  the  gaze 
and  enchained  it.  Suddenly  a  slight  frown  wrin- 
kled his  brow,  and  his  head  fell  on  his  hand. 
Hidden  behind  my  grating,  I  thought  I  had  dis- 
covered the  secret  of  grief  and  despair.  Then 
he  rose  and  opened  a  bundle  of  letters,  reading 
rapidly  and  with  feverish  eagerness.  He  stopped 
at  one  page  to  read  it  again,  and  a  bitter  smile 
parted  his  lips,  as  he  crushed  the  letter  in  his 
hand.  I  do  not  know  why,  but  the  thought  oc- 
curred to  me  that  the  letter  was  from  a  woman. 
Poor  lover  !  he  suffered  perhaps  from  some  de- 
ception. I  was  still  there  thinking,  when  a  slave 
came  up  and  spoke  to  him.  The  unknown  rose, 
and  followed  him.  When  he  had  disappeared  I 
could  not  prevent  myself  from  speculating  upon 
the  vision  which  had,  in  spite  of  myself,  captivated 
my  curiosity,  like  an  enigma  of  which  I  wished 
to  decipher  the  answer. 

The  voice  of  Adilah  roused  me  from  this  idle 
investigation.  Martha  !  There  is  a  mystery  un- 
der this.  Who  can  this  young  solitary,  confined 
like  a  bear  in  this  sad  garden,  be  ?  One  thing 
at  least  I  can  certainly  tell  you — he  is  not  Prince 
Charming. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  55 


VIII. 

IT  is  very  evident  that  you  have  already  built 
up  a  romance  in  your  pretty  head.  My  dear, 
your  imagination  is  too  active  on  the  subject  of 
my  famous  hero  discovered  from  the  window. 
There  is  a  romance  truly,  but  it  is  this  : 

This  morning  I  expected  my  father  to  break- 
fast. Do  you  read  that  ?  To  breakfast !  This 
innovation  on  established  usage  was  an  exception- 
al favor.  We  have  reached  that  point. 

I  had  the  table  placed  in  the  veranda,  in  the 
midst  of  the  flowers.  My  father  came  in  with 
his  pleasant  smile.  When  he  was  seated,  he 
asked,  "  Is  it  well  with  you  ?  " 

I  wished  to  wait  on  him,  to  have  him  all  to 
myself,  and  delightedly  offered  him  a  thousand 
little  attentions  that  I  was  jealous  of  the  slaves  for 
rendering  ;  and,  truly,  I  was  not  so  very  awkward. 

The  coffee  was  brought  while  I  was  chattering 
on,  gay  and  smiling. 

"  Do  you  know,  Miriam,"  said  he,  suddenly, 
"  that,  with  your  eighteen  years,  you  are  a  very 
old  girl  here  ?  " 

"  I  know  it." 

"  I  must  think  of  having  you  married,  my 
dear." 

"  You  have  a  scheme,  father  ?  "  I  cried,  a  little 
troubled. 


56  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

He  looked  at  me,  smiling,  then  putting  his  fin- 
ger on  his  lips — 

"  Chut !     It  is  a  secret,"  he  said. 

I  went  nearer,  trying  to  read  it  in  his  eyes. 

"  A  secret  ?     One  you  can  not  tell  ?  " 

"  My  dear  child,  at  present  it  is  only  a  vague 
project.  I  have  often  reflected  on  the  future 
which  awaits  you.  "With  your  education  and 
ideas,"  he  continued,  "I  can  not  disguise  from 
myself  how  you  would  suffer  in  this  harem-life, 
where  you  would  only  be  a  first  slave.  I  wish  to 
consult  you." 

This  confidence  caused  me  a  certain  agitation, 
for  I  was  touched  at  being  thus  understood  by 
my  father. 

"  How  good  you  are,  father  !  "  I  murmured. 

"  I  love  a  rebellious  daughter,  that  is  all ;  and 
I  am  very  ambitious  for  her." 

I  do  not  know  why  the  recollection  of  Adilah's 
mysterious  neighbor  rose  to  my  mind.  Fate  has 
such  strange  caprices  !  I  burned  to  question,  but 
an  insurmountable  embarrassment  arrested  the 
words  on  my  lips. 

"  Then,  father,"  I  timidly  ventured,  "  who  is 
he?" 

"He  is  very  rich,  and  occupies  the  highest 
position.  I  do  not  know  a  more  desirable  parti 
in  Egypt." 

Though  I  am  very  sure  of  the  power  of  my 
father,  and  have  the  blindest  confidence  in  his 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  57 

judgment,  I  can  not  be  silent  as  to  the  fear 
and  repulsion  I  feel  for  the  manner  in  which 
they  arrange  Mussulman  marriages.  To  marry  a 
stranger,  who  is  met  for  the  first  time  on  the 
wedding-day,  knowing  nothing  of  him — not  even 
the  sound  of  his  voice — is  it  not  terrible  ? 

"  I  can  believe  in  all  your  solicitude,  father,"  I 
added,  "  but  to  me  this  man  will  be  an  indifferent 
stranger — and,  then,  if  I  could  not  love  him  ?  " 

My  father  smiled,  and  was  thoughtful  for  a 
few  moments  ;  then,  as  if  yielding  to  a  sudden 
inspiration — 

"  Decidedly,  I  am  on  a  dangerous  precipice," 
he  said.  "  You  have  made  me  commit  so  many 
infractions  that  I  do  not  know  where  to  stop." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  A  foolish  idea  has  occurred  to  me,  that  I  can 
show  you  your  husband  ;  then  on  the  promenade 
you  will  know  his  voice.  You  shall  also  speak  to 
him." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  " 

"We  shall  see  !  we  shall  see  ! "  he  replied,  as 
if  he  feared  having  gone  too  far.  "  This  time,  at 
least,  I  promise  nothing." 

You  can  imagine  how  my  curiosity  was  aroused 
after  this  conversation.  My  brain  reeled.  Who 
could  this  fianc'e  be,  whose  name,  even,  my  fa- 
ther dared  not  reveal  ?  In  vain  I  pondered.  The 
Selamlik  is  closed  to  us,  it  is  true,  but  in  my  drives 
I  have  often  met  my  father  in  company  with  the 


58  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

sons  of  princes  and  pashas,  and  I  tried  now  to  re- 
call some  of  the  faces.  To  which  one  of  them 
must  I  look  for  all  the  qualities  I  have  dreamed 
of  ?  Martha  !  if  he  should  be  the  one  ?  You 
will,  no  doubt,  deceive  yourself,  for  have  I  not 
told  you  he  is  ugly  ? 

A  week  has  flown,  and  in  none  of  my  inter- 
views with  Adilah  have  I  again  seen  the  myste- 
rious neighbor.  He  never  appears  at  Choubrah 
at  the  hour  when  one  meets  all  Cairo  there.  Was 
he  a  phantom  ?  and  has  he  flown  ?  Twice  I  have 
gone  to  my  sister-in-law's  house  without  any  suc- 
cess. Happily,  it  does  not  make  me  thin. 


IX. 

NURSING  the  strange  illusion  which  unites  my 
reader  in  the  garden  with  the  great  project  that 
my  father  had  unfolded,  I  passed  several  days  in 
weaving  my  romance.  You  know  my  busy  im- 
agination, which  carries  me  so  easily  to  what  you 
call  the  land  of  fiction.  My  Prince  Charming, 
you  must  own,  does  not  this  time  exceed  the  ideal 
of  a  modest  ambition.  Why  should  I  think  of 
him?  I  do  not  know.  The  truth  is,  perhaps, 
that  in  this  harem-life  behind  my  grating  I  have 
no  one  else  to  think  of.  A  true  daughter  of  Eve, 
I  am  enchanted  at  having  a  secret  adventure.  I 
arrange  in  my  head  a  charming  concourse  of  cir- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  59 

cumstances,  with  the  most  adorable  effect.  One 
day  my  father  brings  him  to  me,  and  presents  him 
as  a  skirmisher  ;  I  have  an  unconscious  air  of  not 
knowing  him  ;  then,  unlooked-for  surprise,  I  acci- 
dentally appear  the  next  morning  from  the  height 
of  my  window  among  the  bushes  of  his  Eden. 
Then  secret  encounters,  and  all  the  course  of 
graceful  gallantries  of  Eastern  poesy  ! 

Is  not  all  that  beautifully  worked  out  ?  Well ! 
my  poor  Martha,  my  dream  has  vanished  in  the 
clouds,  with  my  hero,  and,  as  the  height  of  hu- 
miliation, there  only  remains  of  it  an  unheard-of 
imprudence,  which  I  must  here  confide  to  you. 

Always  compelled  by  order  of  my  father  to 
observe  great  prudence,  for  three  days  I  had  not 
been  able  to  escape  to  see  Adilah.  At  that  hour 
I  knew  I  should  find  her  in  that  well-beloved 
kiosk,  from  which  my  curious  gaze  could  search 
the  forbidden  garden.  Would  he  appear  there 
this  day?  Though  I  despised  his  stupidity  at 
not  having  suspected  his  happiness  in  being  gazed 
at  by  two  such  beautiful  eyes  as  mine  piercing 
through  the  leaves,  I  had  a  great  desire  to  pay 
him  off  in  my  turn  with  utter  indifference.  Fancy 
that  I  have  arrived.  Adilah  was  writing. 

"  What  happiness ! "  she  cried  on  seeing  me. 
"  Wait  until  I  finish  this  letter,  and  then  I  will  be 
yours  entirely." 

"  Good  !  Do  not  disturb  yourself,  I  will  take 
a  book." 


60  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

And,  in  fact,  I  stationed  myself  on  a  divan 
with  a  collection  of  Arab  poems  by  a  poet  called 
Hassan,  which  Ali  had  left  there.  Need  I  add 
that  in  ten  minutes  I  was  disturbed  by  the  songs 
of  the  birds  at  the  neighbor's  garden  ?  An  im- 
pertinent bullfinch  perched  upon  our  grating 
thrust  in  his  head  inquisitively.  I  rose  to  drive 
him  off. 

"  How  delicious  these  jasmines  are  !  "  I  say  to 
Adilah. 

You  will  know  that  already  I  was  at  my  tower 
of  observation,  arranging  the  'sprays  with  an  in- 
different air. 

Nothing  was  visible  on  the  other  side  in  the 
deserted  walks.  The  bullfinch,  which  had  flown 
to  a  palm,  from  his  lofty  perch  seemed  to  mock 
me,  as  if  he  suspected  my  anger.  I  swallowed 
my  confusion,  and,  in  truth,  your  little  princess 
well  merited  the  disappointment.  Adilah  still 
wrote.  Disgusted  at  staying  planted  there  like  a 
fool,  I  was  about  to  leave  the  place,  when  I  sud- 
denly heard  a  rustling  among  the  leaves.  Mar- 
tha, it  was  he  !  I  soon  saw  him  appear  at  the 
turn  of  the  path.  He  came  toward  me.  Was  it 
chance,  or  sympathy  ?  Twice  he  raised  his  eyes 
to  my  window.  It  seemed  to  me  that  his  gaze, 
deep  and  burning,  encountered  mine.  My  dear, 
I  turned  crimson,  though  I  knew  he  could  not 
see  me,  and  remained  hidden  behind  my  flowery 
curtain.  He  approached  nearer,  and  was  disap- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  61 

pearing  behind  the  kiosk,  when  a  mad  idea  flashed 
across  my  brain.  I  once  read  a  pretty  Persian 
legend  which  seems  invented  for  my  case  :  "  At 
the  foot  of  a  tower  on  a  bank  of  turf  the  poet 
Hafiz  slept.  .  .  .  Above  him  at  a  window  the 
Princess  Gulnare  leaned  out  inquisitively,  and 
played  with  a  rose.  Suddenly  the  rose  slipped 
from  her  fingers,  and,  falling  on  the  sleeper, 
awakened  him."  In  default  of  the  rose,  I  have 
but  to  stretch  out  my  hand  to  gather  one  of  these 
branches.  My  dear,  the  act  followed  the  thought ; 
my  flowers  fell  at  Jiis  feet  as  he  passed  below  me. 
Surprised,  he  stopped  and  looked  up.  I  with- 
drew so  rapidly  that  Adilah  rose. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Heavens  !  Only  think  of  it  !  I  have  thrown 
a  flower  to  your  neighbor." 

"  Are  you  crazy  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  have  been  dreaming  for  about  five 
minutes." 

"  But,  to  begin  with,  I  have  no  neighbor." 

I  drew  her  to  the  window.  He  was  still  there, 
half  smiling,  and  smelling  my  flowers. 

Amazed,  Adilah  uttered  a  little  cry ;  but  we 
were  too  secure  in  our  shelter  to  fear  anything 
from  his  curiosity. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him  ?  "  I  whispered. 

"  Ugly." 

"  Look  well  at  him." 

She  looked  at  him  intently. 


62  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

"And  now?"  I  added. 

"  He  does  not  improve." 

This  answer  delighted  me.  I  have  always 
been  jealous,  you  know,  of  my  impressions  ;  it 
seems  to  me  that  any  one  who  shares  them  steals 
them. 

But  the  amazement  of  Adilah  was  bound- 
less. Now  that  she  was  convinced  of  the  exis- 
tence of  a  neighbor,  I  related  my  adventure. 
Heaven  only  knows  how  much  delicate  irony 
this  prank  cost  me.  Happily,  there  is  nothing 
to  betray  me.  The  Lord  Hafiz,  who  was  there, 
as  disconcerted  as  myself,  can  not  suppose 
it  anything  but  perhaps  the  malice  of  some 
slave. 

I  entreated  Adilah  to  keep  my  folly  secret, 
when,  to  finish  my  disgrace,  Ali  entered  at  the 
moment.  Our  discovery  was  a  great  surprise  to 
him,  for  he,  like  his  wife,  had  believed  the  garden 
uninhabited. 

While  we  stood  still  he  went  to  the  win- 
dow. An  exclamation  of  amazement  escaped 
his  lips. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  inquired  Adilah. 

"  It  is  Hassan, "  he  answered. 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  "  I  asked,  with  my  heart 
beating  violently. 

"  Yes  !  He  is  the  very  poet  who  wrote  the 
book  now  in  your  hand.  But  how  does  the  im- 
prudent man  dare  to  come  to  Cairo  ?  " 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  63 

"  Has  he  not  the  right  to  come  ?  " 

"  No  I     He  is  proscribed." 

You  can  not  tell  what  an  effect  that  word  pro- 
duced on  me. 

"  Proscribed !  "  I  said  after  a  brief  silence. 
"  Has  he,  then,  committed  some  crime  ?  " 

"  Oh !  worse  than  that !  He  has  compro- 
mised himself  in  the  gravest  political  intrigues. 
He  is  mad,  dreaming  of  senseless  reforms — and 
even  of  the  Fellahs." 

I  questioned  him  further,  and  he  informed  us 
then  that  my  Prince  Charming  was  of  high  rank, 
and  had  a  most  romantic  history,  and  was  the 
son  of  a  minister  of  Mehemet  Ali,  who  fell  into 
disgrace  under  Abbas.  Abbas  had  all  his  rela- 
tions massacred,  and  confiscated  their  immense 
fortune.  Hassan's  rare  endowments  made  that 
suspicious  prince  so  uneasy  that  he  exiled  him. 
Hassan  has  acquired  renown  as  a  poet  and  as  a 
soldier.  In  the  last  war  he  was  at  Plevna,  where, 
it  seems,  he  fought  like  a  hero  at  the  head  of  one 
of  the  regiments  of  Osman  Pasha. 

"Then  he  runs  great  risk?"  I  said,  with  a 
stricture  at  my  heart  as  I  realized  that  my  incon- 
ceivable giddiness  had  betrayed  him. 

"  Certainly  !  But  I  shall  not  be  the  one  to 
denounce  him.  The  police  is  so  poor  that  he 
is  safe  in  this  deserted  quarter,  buried  in  this 
abandoned  house  ;  but  I  know  his  audacity. 
If  he  is  here,  it  is  because  he  has  some  pro- 


64  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

ject,  some  end  in  view — there  lies  the  dan- 
ger!" 

I  returned  home  very  thoughtful.  The  ro- 
mance that  my  extravagant  imagination  had  con- 
ceived was  shattered  at  a  single  blow.  What 
probability  was  there  that  my  father  would  even 
look  at  this  proscribed  man?  But  a  frightful 
anxiety  soon  took  the  place  of  my  silly  dream- 
ing. My  fatal  imprudence  had  betrayed  his  re- 
treat. Good  Heavens  !  If  they  should  discover 
him  !  I  was  certain  of  Ali's  silence,  but  any  in- 
discretion would  be  fatal  to  him  !  At  this 
thought  I  trembled,  as  though  he  were  already 
denounced. 

The  next  morning  I  could  not  rest,  and 
escaped  to  go  and  get  tidings.  What  might 
not  have  happened  since  the  previous  even- 
ing ?  I  found  Ali  and  Adilah  very  tranquil, 
and  not  in  the  least  uneasy  about  their  poor 
neighbor.  Not  daring  to  question  them,  under 
the  pretext  of  going  to  find  a  book,  I  ran  to  the 
kiosk. 

I  had  counted  without  thinking  of  our  terrible 
Mohammedan  customs — the  window  was  walled 
up  ! 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  65 


X. 


WELL  !  yes  !  My  romance  was  folly.  You 
do  not  imagine,  I  suppose,  my  terrible  preacher, 
that  I  am  not  ready  to  own  it,  and  that  the 
wicked  turn  of  my  volatile  nature  does  not 
appear  to  me  now  as  a  very  imprudent  trick. 
I  am  still  alarmed ;  but,  luckily,  Prince  Charm- 
ing is  in  ignorance.  I  was  so  well  concealed 
that  a  perfect  incognito  protects  me.  What 
suspicion  could  a  solitary  promenader  have 
but  that  it  was  one  of  those  accidents  the 
cause  of  which  could  not  be  fathomed?  As 
he  passed,  a  sprig  of  jasmine  fell  at  his  feet — 
that  was  all.  The  walled  window,  a  whisper 
of  the  wind  among  the  palm-trees,  will  waft 
him  an  adieu.  As  for  me,  I  have  enough  on 
hand,  I  assure  you,  with  this  great  marriage 
question,  to  occupy  all  my  thoughts.  A  Turk- 
ish wedding,  my  dear  ;  only  think  of  it !  Be- 
fore it,  in  view  of  my  bad  education,  my  father, 
contrary  to  all  precedent,  will  grant  me  the 
inestimable  satisfaction  of  a  previous  inter- 
view, when  I  shall  hear — extreme  happiness  ! — 
the  voice  of  my  intended  husband  before  the 
wedding  day.  After  that  all  will  be  concluded. 
You  can  conceive  that  this  alluring  perspective 
makes  me  ponder,  and  I  will  venture  a  word 
with  my  father  to  hasten  his  great  scheme. 
5 


66  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Here — "what  is  written  is  written" — I  await — 
yielding,  in  spite  of  myself,  to  the  idea  of 
fatality,  which  seems  to  impregnate  the  air  of 
the  harem  like  some  subtile  perfume — the  slav- 
ery to  which  we  are  compelled  to  submit. 
This  bondage  takes  you,  annihilates  you — I 
know  not  by  what  strange  power,  swallows  up 
your  volition,  and  makes  you  live  indifferent 
to  the  present  hour,  which  is  precisely  like  that 
of  yesterday,  and  will  be  the  same  to-morrow. 
I  am  still  troubled  by  a  thought  which  savors 
of  remorse,  at  the  foolish  act  of  which  the 
memory  remains.  If  I  should  be  the  cause 
of  having  this  unhappy  man,  who  doubtless 
believes  himself  in  safety,  denounced  !  Dis- 
creet as  Ali  is,  to  wall  up  the  window  he  had 
to  send  people  ;  perhaps  they  have  seen  him  ! 
It  is  so  easy  to  lodge  information !  If  my  fa- 
tal imprudence  has  betrayed  him  !  For  three 
days  I  have  not  been  to  Adilah's,  and  horrible 
apprehensions  besiege  me  momently.  I  tremble, 
as  at  the  approach  of  a  crisis.  I  could  never 
be  consoled  if  I  should  be  the  cause  of  misfor- 
tune to  him. 

What  I  dreaded  has  happened.  Yesterday 
my  brother  came  to  see  me,  and  you  may  sup- 
pose that,  though  I  was  quaking,  I  concealed 
my  alarm,  and  tried  to  question  him  with  as 
much  indifference  as  I  could  command.  The 
return  of  Hassan  is  no  longer  a  secret  :  they 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE   PRINCESS.  67 

know  he  is  in  concealment  in  Cairo.  I  was 
distracted.  My  brother  has  a  heart,  but  he 
belongs  to  this  Arab  court,  where  a  man  dreads 
compromising  himself.  I  can  not,  then,  depend 
upon  him  to  warn  the  unhappy  exile.  Besides, 
will  Hassan,  if  he  is  the  rash,  proud  man  AH 
considers  him,  ever  consent  to  obey  an  order  or 
yield  to  fear? 

A  wild  idea  flashed  into  my  brain  ;  I  would 
write,  and  send  it  to  him  immediately.  Write 
to  a  man  —  a  stranger  —  one  unknown  !  Yet 
should  I  not  pay  for  my  heedless  mistake  by 
performing  one  of  those  duties  which,  though 
the  laws  do  not  make  binding,  are  none  the  less 
sacred  to  an  upright,  honest  conscience  ?  Alas  ! 
what  could  I  do?  Powerless  as  I  am,  was  I 
not  compelled  to  let  things  work  their  own  ac- 
complishment ?  Yet,  when  discouraged  I  tried 
to  be  resigned,  a  rebellious  feeling  prevent- 
ed me.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  guilty — 
guilty  of  not  doing  anything  ;  guilty  in  being 
silent  !  The  struggle  was  a  long  one.  At  one 
moment  my  pity  conquered  my  scruples  ;  at 
another,  my  scruples  deadened  my  pity.  To 
write !  I  decided  to  do  that,  for  seek  as  I 
might  it  was  the  only  method.  At  one  time  I 
thought  of  sending  a  message  to  him  ;  but  what 
slave  could  I  send  on  such  an  unusual  errand  ?  I 
can  not  tell  what  inner  consciousness  convinced 
me  that  I  alone  would  be  listened  to,  and  obeyed. 


68  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Ten  times  did  I  take  up  my  pen,  and  ten  times 
did  I  throw  it  down.  After  much  indecision,  and 
with  terror,  I  resolved.  Only  an  anonymous 
warning  was  necessary,  so  I  wrote  these  simple 
lines  : 

"A  friend  knows  that  you  are  in  peril: 
your  presence  in  Cairo  is  known.  Fly  imme- 
diately !  " 

Then  I  called  Nazly,  and,  trusting  to  her  fidel- 
ity, obtained  a  promise  that  she  would  get  her 
sister  to  take  it  to  Hassan's  house.  For  the  sake 
of  safety,  and  to  keep  my  secret  better,  we  agreed 
that  Zourah  should  not  know  who  sent  the  mes- 
sage, and  thus  she  could  not  question  or  answer. 
I  felt  relieved  from  a  heavy  responsibility.  Bur- 
ied in  his  imprudent  seclusion,  Hassan  would  at 
least  learn  that  he  must  be  on  the  alert.  I  impa- 
tiently awaited  Nazly's  return.  She  soon  came 
back  with  the  tidings  that  Zourah  had  accom- 
plished her  mission. 


XI. 

HE  has  gone  ;  God  be  praised  !  .  .  .  This  has 
a  little  lightened  this  importunate  care  which  I  so 
idly  caused  myself.  The  day  after  the  delivery 
of  my  mysterious  advice  the  house  was  fastened, 
and  Nazly's  sister  is  convinced  that  the  exile  had 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  69 

flown.  I  have  saved  this  unhappy  man  ;  and  now 
I  owe  him  nothing.  I  will  now  relate  an  incident 
to  you  which  presages  storms  and  tempests. 

My  sister  Hosnah  has  returned,  and  I  went  to 
make  my  first  visit  to  her,  which  I  must  describe 
in  all  its  details,  because  it  will  prove  all  the  life 
and  happiness  which  are  in  store  for  me  through 
this  superb  marriage  of  which  the  secret  has  never 
been  divulged  to  me  up  to  this  hour. 

It  is  now  three  days  since,  in  my  elegant  cos- 
tume of  a  sultana,  and  in  a  beautiful  carriage,  I 
left  Chimilah,  accompanied  by  Saida,  as  richly 
appareled  as  myself.  During  the  drive  she  again 
instructed  me  upon  the  ordained  etiquette  at  such 
an  important  interview  ;  and  gave  me  a  final  les- 
son on  ceremonial  and  bearing  which  was  to  be 
very  complicated,  for  this  time  I  was  going  to  en- 
counter the  severest  traditions  of  Islam.  My  lit- 
tle step-mother  gave  me  information  about  the 
members  of  the  family,  whom  I  have  never  seen, 
and  of  the  various  wives  of  my  brother-in-law 
Mustapha,  whom  I  was  to  meet.  Four  of  these 
wives  are  as  legitimate  as  my  sister  Hosnah,  in 
consequence  of  which  I  owe  them  a  certain  re- 
spect. 

We  had  soon  crossed  the  town. 

Situated  in  a  street  so  narrow  that  the  carriage 
appeared  to  enter  it  with  difficulty,  the  palace  of 
my  sister  Hosnah  is  a  marvel  of  antiquity.  The 
family  of  her  husband,  a  descendant  of  green 


70  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

turbans,  inhabited  it  for  eight  centuries,  during 
which  time  nothing  has  been  done  to  alter  the 
primitive  architecture,  nor  has  more  been  done 
in  the  interior  than  to  make  requisite  repairs.  It 
is  the  only  monument  of  its  sort  in  this  country 
where  palaces,  houses,  and  gourbis,  all  date  from 
yesterday.  When  the  carriage  stopped,  my  little 
step-mother  ceased  her  prattling,  and  became 
very  serious  under  her  bourJco.  The  very  door 
even  of  this  secular  palace  has  a  formidable  and 
imposing  appearance.  .  The  first  court  was  empty 
— a  double  barrier  for  all  Mussulman  houses  ; 
then  a  second  court,  immense,  without  trees,  and 
with  a  very  high  wall,  with  a  well,  the  marble 
basin  of  which  is  -green  and  worn  by  time.  I  was 
delighted  by  the  elegant  originality,  the  exquisite 
variety,  the  fantastic  and  delicate  art  of  the  win- 
dows, those  jewels  of  Arab  chiseling,  those  laces 
in  wood,  fine  as  a  woman's  veil,  where  the  imagi- 
nation and  patience  of  the  artist  display  according 
to  caprice  the  most  extravagant  and  the  most  won- 
derful execution.  The  immense  wall  at  the  rear 
is  bare  and  flat,  without  windows  or  the  least  or- 
namentation. A  single  door  is  cut  there,  closed 
by  a  heavy  curtain  of  white  cloth  covered  with  in- 
scriptions, cut  out  of  scraps  of  various  colored 
silks.  It  is  impossible  to  picture  the  effect  of  this 
brilliant  drapery  upon  the  discolored  gray-stone. 
This  was  the  entrance  to  the  harem.  Saida  pointed 
out  to  the  left  the  Selamlik,  a  separate  building 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  71 

where  my  brother-in-law  Mustapha  lives.  On  ac- 
count of  this  vicinity,  the  windows  of  the  harem 
open  on  the  gardens  on  the  other  side.  The  curtain 
is  lowered  when  the  hanums  are  at  home,  and  raised 
when  they  are  out  ;  it  is  also  the  custom  not  only 
for  strangers,  but  even  for  the  domestics,  to  make 
a  long  detour  when  they  have  occasion  to  pass 
this  mysterious  altar.  On  our  arrival,  about  twelve 
young  girls,  who  were  drawing  water,  took  flight 
as  swiftly  as  a  flock  of  pigeons.  The  boabs,  who 
had  hastened  to  the  carriage,  flew  as  soon  as  the 
steps  were  let  down  ;  it  seemed  a  general  sauve 
quipeut,  and  one  would  have  supposed  we  brought 
the  plague  in  our  garments.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
court  was  empty.  Four  eunuchs  then  came  to  meet 
us,  and  raised  the  terrible  curtain  for  us.  A  large 
granite  staircase,  lighted  by  colored  lanterns,  un- 
til it  was  as  bright  as  the  daylight  outside,  led  to 
the  apartments.  At  the  door  I  stopped  amazed. 
It  seemed  as  if  one  only  could  know  my  sister 
Hosnah  when  she  was  seen  at  home.  I  do  not 
know  if  her  apparel  was  the  result  of  her  instinct 
or  her  skill.  In  the  midst  of  her  slaves,  standing 
in  a  circle  around  her,  lying  on  a  divan,  the  mouth- 
piece of  a  nargile  between  her  lips,  dressed  in  a 
robe  of  cherry  satin  covered  with  gems,  she  ap- 
peared to  me  still  more  imposing  than  at  our  first 
interview.  The  resolution  of  a  fanatic  betrayed 
itself,  mingled  with  the  gaze  of  a  sphinx.  Yet 
her  eyes  are  very  beautiful,  bordered  by  a  deep 


72  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

circle  of  kohl  under  their  heavy  brows,  which 
meet  in  a  black  line.  They  fascinate  by  their 
magnetic  power.  She  took  her  time  to  rise,  her 
favorites  dashing  forward  to  support  her.  Slowly, 
with  her  exceptional  majesty,  she  came  toward  me. 
On  the  part  of  an  eldest  sister  this  reception 
was  a  distinguished  proof  of  consideration  and 
kindly  feeling.  I  answered  in  my  best  style, 
bending  to  kiss  the  hem  of  her  robe.  While  the 
slaves  took  off  my  fkretffa  she  said,  examining 
my  costume  : 

"  This  is  well ;  you  are  a  thorough  Arab." 
I  took  a  place  on  the  divan  beside  her.  The 
windows  of  the  harem,  as  I  said,  overlook  the 
gardens  on  three  sides  ;  they  are  at  an  ordinary 
height,  but  seem  very  low,  the  ceiling  being  very 
lofty,  formed  like  a  dome,  and  decorated  in 
squares  of  porcelain  in  the  most  ingenious  method 
that  Arab  art  has  invented.  It  is  cool  to  the  eye, 
of  a  refined  tone,  and  deliciously  harmonious.  A 
gallery  in  filigree  silver  runs  around  the  sides  of 
the  room,  with  its  sides  of  cedar-wood  inlaid  in 
pearl  and  ivory.  Here  and  there  on  the  walls 
were  old  appliques,  where  turquoise  was  sown  ; 
in  little  niches  were  btagkres  holding  priceless  pot- 
tery. All  around  the  room  was  a  divan  of  Per- 
sian silk,  with  piles  of  cushions  scattered  over  the 
carpets.  Nothing  modern  here.  The  single  word 
Europe  causes  the  eyes  of  my  sister  to  flash. 
Never  had  a  Christian  sullied  her  door-sill ;  never 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  73 

had  an  infidel  seen  her  face.  Though  I  have 
profited  by  the  instructions  of  Sai'da  so  much,  in 
the  midst  of  a  scene  so  different  from  Chimilah,  I 
felt  a  little  disconcerted.  Sitting  apart,  each  sur- 
rounded by  her  own  group,  in  the  midst  of  a  little 
court,  I  soon  recognized  the  hanums.  They  came 
up  to  me.  My  little  step-mother  named  to  me 
Fatma-Hanum,  Khadouja-Hanum,  Aiss&-Hanum  ; 
this  last  of  very  noble  birth,  and  scarcely  twelve 
years  of  age.  At  a  glance  I  decided  on  the  supe- 
riority of  our  recluses  at  Chimilah  to  these.  Ours 
are  great  children — these  have  not  even  gayety. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  harem  enwraps  them  in  a 
smiling  sort  of  idiocy.  Have  they  souls — thoughts? 
With  their  large  eyes  blackened  by  kohl,  they 
looked  at  me  until  their  curiosity  was  gratified, 
then  they  returned  to  their  divans,  where,  without 
troubling  themselves  more  about  me,  they  returned 
to  their  far  niente.  A  superb  creature,  covered 
with  diamonds,  suddenly  entered,  followed  by  a 
group  of  slaves.  Saida  whispered  in  my  ear  that 
she  was  the  present  favorite,  and  I  should  have 
suspected  it  from  the  airs  of  indolent  superiority 
with  which  she  received  the  adulation  paid  her. 
She  came  up  and  examined  me  as  a  rare  object, 
asked  me  some  amiable  questions,  then,  carrying 
her  finger  to  her  lips,  went  and  seated  herself 
with  crossed  legs  upon  the  cushions  carefully  ar- 
ranged for  her  by  the  attendant  eunuchs.  Arous- 
ing me  from  my  astonishment,  Hosnah  presented 


74  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

me  to  some  distinguished  visitors,  who  appeared 
to  have  been  invited  in  honor  of  me.  While  they 
were  overwhelming  me  with  compliments  and  at- 
tentions, my  mind  was  absorbed  in  a  study  of 
this  extraordinary  household.  These  rival  ha- 
nums,  possessing  the  same  rights  and  titles,  con- 
cealing without  doubt  atrocious  jealousies,  and 
forced  to  yield  to  this  favorite  slave  whom  the 
caprice  of  their  master  had  placed  above  them, 
filled  me  at  the  same  time  with  shame  and  pity. 
My  sister  Hosnah  thrones  herself  in  the  midst  of 
this,  and  reconciles  herself  to  it,  as  the  most  nat- 
ural thing  in  the  world. 

Fashion  required  that  pipes  and  coffee  should 
be  brought.  I  do  not  know  if  Hosnah  had  de- 
sired to  dazzle  me,  or  whether  this  was  the  usual 
ceremony  of  the  house,  but  I  never  saw  any  such 
pomp  »or  such  solemnity.  Thirty  slaves  marched 
in  two  lines,  clothed  like  houris,  the  negresses 
contrasting  with  the  blondes,  and  bringing  out 
their  pure  pallor  ;  all  were  young,  and  of  a  beauty 
remarkable  in  its  type.  At  their  head,  the  small- 
est bearing  the  arphs  (the  cups),  the  largest  fol- 
lowing with  the  waiters,  the  nargiles,  and  pipes, 
then  closing  the  procession  two  Smyrniotes  with 
their  long  blonde  plaits  trailing  on  the  floor,  bear- 
ing the  cafetibre  in  the  form  of  a  censer.  Dia- 
monds glistened  wherever  they  moved.  Instruct- 
ed by  Saida,  I  made  a  very  good  appearance.  I 
accepted  the  arph  and  the  pipe,  saluting  my  sis- 


THE   RETURN   OF  THE   PRINCESS.  75 

ter  in  Arab  fashion,  and,  drinking  my  coffee,  bur- 
ied in  the  cushions  of  the  divan,  I  puffed  some 
clouds  from  my  chibouk.  An  hour  passed  thus. 
Some  of  the  visitors  having  taken  leave,  my  sister 
and  myself  remained  together  alone. 

"  Miriam,"  she  said  abruptly,  "  has  not  our  fa- 
ther spoken  to  you  of  his  great  scheme  ?  " 

"  What  scheme  ?  "  I  inquired,  wishing  to  show 
discretion. 

"  A  marriage." 

"  He  has  alluded  to  it,"  I  replied  ;  "  but  it  is 
still  a  secret,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Not  to  me,"  she  replied,  "  for  I  was  the  one 
who  conceived  the  idea  of  this  great  happiness  for 
us  all." 

I  could  not  tell  why,  but  as  my  sister  uttered 
these  words  I  was  struck  with  terror. 

"  Do  you  know  the  man  whom  my  father  des- 
tined for  me?"  asked  I,  more  agitated  than  I 
wished  to  appear. 

"  How  should  I  not  know  Mohammed  ?  He 
is  my  husband's  brother." 

This  unexpected  revelation  had  the  effect  of 
a  thunder-clap.  Her  husband's  brother  !  I  fore- 
saw for  myself,  as  in  a  bad  dream,  this  frightful 
life  now  before  my  eyes,  with  its  humiliation,  its 
immodesty,  and  revolts  ;  this  strange  mingling  of 
wives  and  slaves ;  this  degrading  servility  from 
which  even  the  title  of  princess  would  not  be  able 
to  save  me.  Was  this  in  reserve  for  me  ? 


76  THE   RETURN   OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

I  returned  to  Chimilah  a  prey  to  the  wildest 
terror.  My  father  had  scarcely  entered  the  next 
morning  when  I  cried  out : 

"  It  is  not  true  !  It  is  impossible  !  Hosnah 
has  deceived  me  !  Tell  me  quickly  that  it  is  not 
true  ! " 

"  First  tell  me  what  is  not  true  ?  " 

"  That  you  wish  to  marry  me  to  her  brother- 
in-law  Mohammed." 

"  Hosnah  is  a  tattler,"  he  answered,  smiling  ; 
"  but,  since  she  has  told  it,  there  is  nothing  more 
to  hide.  But  why  this  look  of  consternation  ? 
You  have  never  seen  him.  You  do  not  know 
him." 

"  But  what  necessity  is  there  for  me  to  have 
known  him  ?  It  was  sufficient  for  me  to  have 
been  in  the  household  of  his  brother  yesterday 
to  terrify  me  at  the  idea  of  a  harem  like  his." 

"Allah!  What  know  you  of  it?"  calmly 
answered  my  father.  "  Mohammed  has  no  ha- 
rem, and  if  he  marries  you  he  will  never  have 
another  wife." 

Though  there  was  much  in  these  assurances 
to  calm  my  liveliest  alarm,  I  did  not  yield. 

"But  if  I  do  not  love  him,  father  ?  " 

"  Be  at  ease,"  he  answered  with  a  smile. 
"  Have  I  not  promised  that  you  shall  know  your 
husband  before  marriage  ?  Yet  more,  I  do  not 
wish  to  compel  you,  my  dear  child.  If  Moham- 
med is  disagreeable  to  you — absolutely — well,  you 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  77 

shall    not   marry  Mohammed.      Are    you  reas- 
sured?" 

What  could  I  answer  to  words  so  tender  and 
reasonable  ?  He  spoke  then  of  the  hopes  he  had 
built  on  this  superb  match — one  of  the  finest  in 
Egypt — and  of  the  happiness  that  would  be  mine. 
Mohammed  is  thirty.  Educated  in  Europe,  he  is 
civilized,  which  accounts  for  his  not  resembling 
his  brother  in  anything.  A  friend  of  the  Khe- 
dive, and  with  great  influence  over  him,  he  occu- 
pies one  of  the  highest  positions  at  court,  where 
his  great  political  ability  makes  him  a  sort  of 
vizier.  My  father  did  not  conceal  the  fact  that 
this  marriage  would  be  the  height  of  the  ambi- 
tion of  my  family,  and  he  dwelt  at  length  on  the 
wondrously  influential  position  I  should  occupy, 
and  the  great  wealth  it  would  bring  me. 


XII. 

I  SOON  perceived  that  this  great  secret  of  my 
marriage  was  no  longer  a  secret  from  any  of  the 
family  ;  from  my  step-mother,  Zeinab,  down  to 
Saida,  they  never  stopped  gossiping  about  the 
happiness  in  store  for  me.  I  discovered  it  was 
a  concerted  understanding  to  assure  victory  to 
Seigneur  Mohammed.  Bell  even  joined  the  par- 
ty, and,  from  what  Farideh  told  her,  was  ever- 


78  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

lastingly  pointing  out  to  me  the  magnificent  life 
I  should  have  with  such  a  husband.  Then,  some 
days  later,  my  father  came  one  morning  to  inform 
me  that  at  noon  he  would  be  awaiting  me  in  a 
pavilion  which  almost  joins  the  Selamlik.  At 
this  extraordinary  departure  from  precedent,  I 
realized  that  the  first  blow  was  struck. 

"  I  shall  have  some  one  to  present  to  you,"  he 
added,  with  a  smile. 

This  news  threw  my  entire  house  into  confu- 
sion. 

Though,  in  accordance  with  the  inflexible  rules, 
I  could  only  appear  at  this  presentation  closely 
veiled,  Nazly,  naturally  in  their  confidence,  would 
deck  me  in  my  most  beautiful  toilet.  Saida 
would  arrange  my  head  with  her  own  hands, 
placing  first  the  bourko — you  know  the  piece  of 
stuff  which  is  fastened  below  the  eyes — and  over 
all  the  habarah,  hiding  the  head  and  forehead. 
In  spite  of  their  jests  and  laughter,  I  was  some- 
what agitated.  I  felt  an  unconquerable  emotion, 
which  all  these  preparations  increased.  A  thou- 
sand thoughts  struggled  in  my  brain,  now  one, 
now  another,  gaining  the  mastery.  At  one  time 
.the  picture  of  Hosnah's  harem  would  make  me 
shudder ;  at  another  the  promise  of  my  father 
would  give  me  confidence. 

I  was  ready.  Saida  saw  me  go,  nearly  as 
agitated  as  if  she  were  herself  the  victim.  Naz- 
ly  embraced  me,  so  as  to  encourage  me.  Bell 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  79 

alone,  very  self-possessed  under  her  veil,  was  to 
accompany  me. 

You  know  I  am  not  brave,  but  I  only  tremble 
when  the  danger  is  in  the  distance.  In  an  event 
like  this,  I  arm  myself  with  all  my  sang-froid.  I 
would  not  allow  myself  to  be  swayed  either  by 
my  anticipations  or  by  surrounding  influences. 
I  would  refuse  to  take  any  part.  Two  eunuchs 
formed  our  escort  ;  they  ascended  the  steps  be- 
fore us,  and  introduced  us.  As  I  entered,  my 
eyes  rested  on  a  person  very  elegantly  dressed  in 
European  style,  with  a  tarbouch  on  his  head,  who 
was  sitting  near  my  father.  At  my  entrance  he 
immediately  rose. 

Large,  erect,  with  the  profile  of  an  antique 
medal,  his  long  lashes  soften  the  flash  of  a  gaze 
very  proud  and  at  the  same  time  a  little  hard  ;  a 
brown  beard  conceals  all  the  lower  part  of  the 
face. 

"My  daughter,  his  Excellency  Mohammed 
Pasha,  who  has  solicited  the  honor  of  being  pre- 
sented to  you." 

I  bowed  slightly. 

My  father  spoke  in  Arabic.  As  if  through 
gallant  deference,  the  young  Pasha  uttered  in 
French  some  phrases  of  delicate  courtesy,  in 
which  he  expressed  his  gratitude  for  a  favor 
which  he  so  highly  estimated. 

Bell,  book  in  hand,  had  discreetly  retired  to 
a  little  distance.  I  took  a  place  on  the  divan  be- 


80  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

side  my  father.  Seigneur  Mohammed  sat  in  front 
of  us  in  a  f  auteuil. 

This  visit  d  la  Fran$aise  was  the  most  extra- 
ordinary and  original  proceeding  ever  heard  of. 
It  had  all  the  form  of  a  meeting  in  the  Faubourg 
St.-Germain  ;  but  here  the  veil  added  a  new  fea- 
ture— something  like  an  intrigue  with  a  mask  on, 
covering  an  interview  of  lovers.  The  conversa- 
tion that  ensued  was  somewhat  ceremonious,  and 
on  general  topics.  Apart  from  the  gravity,  at 
the  same  time  easy  and  dignified,  of  the  man  of 
state,  Mohammed  does  not  lack  intellect.  Yet, 
to  be  frank,  his  haughty  coldness  was  not  unbe- 
coming. But  his  smile  has  an  ironical  finesse 
which  betrays  the  consciousness  of  slightly 
haughty  superiority.  My  father  made  a  remark 
on  some  point  of  foreign  policy,  and,  without 
knowing  much  about  it,  I  ventured  a  timid  ob- 
servation. Mohammed's  countenance  expressed 
surprise ;  I  had,  it  appeared,  uttered  a  very  sub- 
tile remark,  which  covered  the  point  at  issue  be- 
tween them. 

"Eh  !  mon  Dieu,  mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "be- 
hold !  we  have  you  already  a  great  politician." 

My  father  laughed  aloud.  I  lowered  my  eyes, 
blushing  under  my  veil. 

Mohammed  did  not  pursue  the  subject,  but 
gave  the  conversation  a  turn  which  restored  it  to 
its  careless  and  indifferent  tone.  Emboldened 
by  this  strange  situation,  through  his  grave  self- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  81 

control,  a  certain  tone  of  gallantry  was  percepti- 
ble. I  can  not  explain  how,  in  the  most  apropos 
manner,  he  found  a  way  of  slipping  in  some  very 
graceful  compliments.  Once  I  considered  his 
praises  fulsome. 

"Take  care,"  I  said  with  a  slight  dash  of 
irony  ;  "  I  may  be  very  ugly." 

"No,  you  are  not,"  he  replied  in  a  tone  of 
confidence,  very  flattering  to  my  vanity. 

My  father  gave  one  of  his  little  malicious 
laughs. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Mademoiselle,  I  have  my  secrets." 

"  Doubtless  the  gift  of  second-sight." 

"I  do  not  think  so." 

"Then—" 

"Then  I  assure  you  that  you  are  charm- 
ing." 

Notwithstanding  his  boldness,  this  point-blank 
flattery  did  not  cause  me  a  blush.  Convinced 
that  he  knew  nothing,  I  pressed  him  to  enlighten 
me  as  to  his  information.  "  Were  it  only  by  your 
eyes  and  your  voice,"  he  replied, "  I  would  already 
have  had  sufficient  reason  to  judge."  I  jestingly 
continued  this  skirmish,  insisting  that  he  should 
show  me  my  portrait,  and,  after  making  me  en- 
treat him  awhile — " 

"Notwithstanding  your  great,  severe  eyes," 
he  continued,  "you  have  a  smiling  mouth  with 
dazzling  little  teeth  ;  your  nose  is  straight  and  deli- 
6 


82  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

cate,  and  low  down  on  your  left  cheek  is  a  slight 
little  mole." 

I  fell  from  the  clouds. 

"  What  treachery !  You  have  seen  me  in 
Paris." 

He  denied  this. 

"  It  is  magic,  then  !  " 

He  enjoyed  my  astonishment  for  a  moment, 
then  he  took  from  his  pocket-book  a  photograph 
which  he  showed  me.  I  uttered  a  cry  of  amaze- 
ment on  recognizing  myself.  I  gave  my  father  a 
reproachful  look,  to  which  he  seemed  insensible, 
appearing  to  enjoy  my  defeat. 

I  had  lost  much  of  my  assurance  ;  for  this 
veil,  behind  which  I  took  refuge,  no  longer  con- 
cealed me.  The  visit  was  soon  ended,  for,  with 
a  good  taste  for  which  I  had  not  given  him  credit, 
as  if  he  understood  my  embarrassment,  Moham- 
med did  not  abuse  his  advantage  over  me.  He 
rose,  and,  bowing  very  low,  took  his  leave  with  a 
few  graceful  and  respectful  words.  When  he 
had  left,  I  reproached  my  father  with  having  so 
prefidiously  betrayed  me. 

"  You  are  an  ingrate,  Miriam,"  he  answered. 
"  To  please  you  we  set  aside  all  established  rules, 
and  behold,  you  scold  me  for  obeying  you  too 
well  !  Do  you  not  see  that  Mohammed  can  not 
love  you  unless  he  knows  you  ?  "  That  was  very 
true,  and  I  was  appeased.  He  inquired  my  im- 
pressions, and  in  daughterly  confidence  I  owned 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  83 

that  his  protege  had  made  a  very  favorable  impres- 
sion on  me.  I  criticised,  though,  something  too 
searching  in  his  gaze,  an  imperceptible  shade  of 
irony  in  his  smile,  a  cold  nature  under  the  grave 
hauteur  of  his  manner  even  in  his  gallant  atten- 
tions ;  but,  after  all,  these  are  the  trifling  defects 
suitable  to  a  politician.  My  father  then  informed 
me,  in  addition  to  what  he  had  told  me  before 
this  meeting,  and  which  with  very  natural  discre- 
tion Mohammed  had  not  touched  on,  how  affairs 
now  stood.  Everything  had  been  understood  in 
advance.  Mohammed,  like  many  other  young 
Mussulmans  of  rank,  had  pledged  himself  to  have 
but  one  wife.  The  arrangement  of  our  menage 
would  be  the  same  as  Ali's  and  Adilah's,  and  he 
only  would  require  the  ceremonial  etiquette  out 
of  the  house. 

At  all  events,  I  am  permitted  to  reflect  on  it 
before  I  decide  :  there  is  nothing  to  hurry  me. 
We  have  just  commenced  our  Ramadan — a  fast 
of  forty  days.  We  must  wait  until  that  is  ended 
before  we  can  dream  of  the  celebration  of  a  mar- 
riage. It  is  a  month's  respite.  What  do  you  say 
to  my  romance  ?  As  you  see,  it  is  a  very  impor- 
tant affair,  dearest,  and  I  can  not  decide  without 
deepest  reflection.  Marriage  in  itself  is  some- 
thing terrifying  in  its  incomprehensibility.  Sei- 
gneur Mohammed  impresses  me  favorably,  I  own, 
though  I  do  not  feel  for  him  that  sympathy  which 
reassures  and  encourages.  A  single  interview,  it 


84  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

is  true,  is  not  sufficient  to  form  an  opinion  ;  still, 
I  recognize  in  him  the  apparent  possession  of  ster- 
ling qualities — an  attraction,  a  bearing,  an  educa- 
tion, sentiments — which  distinguish  him  from  all 
others.  In  short,  I  could  not  be  ambitious  of  a 
husband  more  desirable  in  this  Mussulman  world 
to  which  I  belong.  Love  is  sometimes  more  last- 
ing for  not  being  too  sudden.  Mohammed  pos- 
sesses gifts  which  must  flatter  the  pride  of  any 
woman.  The  favorable  impression  he  made  on 
me  has  relieved  me  from  my  terrors,  and  that  is 
much  to  begin  with.  Why  should  not  affection 
be  born  later,  when  I  have  awakened  a  heart 
stifled  perhaps  by  the  cares  of  business  ?  Time  is 
the  best  of  counselors.  We  shall  see. 


XIII. 

MY  life  has  suddenly  gained  an  extraordinary 
excitement.  The  news  of  the  marriage  has  been 
spread  abroad  before  it  is  even  fully  decided  on. 
At  Chimilah  they  all  consider  it  a  fixed  fact. 
Since  the  visit  of  Mohammed,  Hosnah  has  been 
seized  with  such  a  friendship  for  me  that  she  gives 
me  no  respite.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  she 
does  not  come  to  see  me,  carrying  me  off  in  her 
coach  to  introduce  me  to  her  friends,  inventing  a 
thousand  pretexts  for  driving  and  fetes.  I  no 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  85 

longer  belong  to  myself,  but  seem  won  over  by 
her  flatteries. 

In  the  midst  of  this  strife,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  a  moment  to  go  and  see  my  dear  Adilah  ; 
Hosnah  accompanies  me  whenever  I  go  out.  We 
go  together  to  Choubrah,  where  we  meet  Moham- 
med. Behind  the  lowered  shades  the  sphinx-eye 
of  my  sister  perceives  him  with  such  unerring 
certainty  that  one  must  believe  she  was  prepared 
for  the  encounter.  From  the  looks  he  gives  at 
our  coach,  of  which  I  suppose  he  recognizes  the 
livery,  I  am  confident  he  knows  I  am  there.  Eti- 
quette forbids  him  to  bow  to  me  ;  yet  a  few  days 
since,  when  our  coupk  collided  with  his  in  a  nar- 
row passage,  I  perceived  an  imperceptible  sign,  a 
movement  of  his  eyes  and  lowering  of  the  lashes. 

"  Did  you  see  that  ?  "  exclaimed  Hosnah.  "  He 
almost  committed  an  indiscretion.  You  certainly 
make  him  lose  his  head,"  she  added  ;  and  she  con- 
tinued her  jests  about  the  mad  passion  I  have  in- 
spired. 

She  knows  about  the  interview  and  the  por- 
trait, and  approves  of  everything.  Great  Heav- 
ens !  What  has  become  of  her  "  old  principles  "  ? 
I  can  not  disguise  the  fact  that  there  is,  in  these 
meetings  and  this  mystery,  a  sort  of  romantic 
perfume,  which  almost  reconciles  me  to  the  bar- 
barous rigor  which  hides  us  from  all  eyes.  A 
lover  alone,  my  dear,  invented  this  code  of  ado- 
ration and  respect.  What  woman  could  dare  to 


86  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

complain  of  this  jealous  precaution,  or  this  vigi- 
lant care  to  secure  her  from  all  eyes  ?  There  cer- 
tainly are  no  such  scruples  in  the  pale  loves  of 
Europe.  A  nature  at  the  same  time  fervent  and 
idolatrous  is  the  only  one  which  can  feel  ardent 
passion.  Veiled  to  all,  the  Mussulwoman  belongs 
but  to  one.  Does  not  the  woman  who  exposes 
herself  to  admiration  and  envy  give  away  some- 
thing of  herself  ? 

Circumstances  are  more  defined,  and  your  little 
princess  seems  rushing  on  to  the  fatal  denottment. 
Two  days  ago  a  bitter  grief  fell  to  my  poor  Naz- 
ly's  share.  Her  sister's  son,  enlisted  a  little  while 
since,  had  deserted.  His  mother  rushed  to  us  in 
her  despair.  He  was  to  be  shot.  I  immediately 
went  to  Hosnah's  house,  and  she  agreed  to  help 
us.  A  hanum  has  the  right  of  calling  at  the 
house  of  a  public  official ;  and  this  had  not  been 
the  first  time  that  Hosnah  sought  the  aid  of  her 
brother-in-law.  She  started  immediately  to  seek 
him,  promising  to  obtain  pardon  for  the  con- 
demned, and  I  returned  to  Chimilah  very  hope- 
ful. An  hour  later  she  came  to  my  house.  A 
free  pardon  was  granted,  and  Mohammed  would 
bring  it  to  me. 

"How !  "  cried  I ;  "that  is  impossible." 

"Why?"  she  tranquilly  inquired.  "Has  he 
not  been  here  before  ?  " 

"  That  was  very  different ;  an  interview  au- 
thorized by  my  father." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  87 

"  Well !  This  time  it  will  be  an  interview 
authorized  by  me — that  is  all  the  difference." 

"  Where  shall  I  receive  him  ?  " 

"I  will  accompany  you  to  the  pavilion." 

I  looked  at  her  in  amazement,  not  being  able 
to  believe  such  a  departure  on  the  part  of  my  sis- 
ter. In  truth,  I  had  to  let  her  do  it.  Mohammed 
was  her  near  relation,  and  the  authority  she  exer- 
cised over  the  family  would  excuse  such  hardi- 
hood. I  did  not  think  of  dressing,  for  I  was  too 
much  agitated  in  view  of  this  new  meeting,  so 
unexpectedly  improvised.  I  need  not  tell  you 
she  had  not  much  trouble  in  convincing  me.  Half 
an  hour  later  one  of  Hosnah's  eunuchs  came  to 
inform  her  that  Seigneur  Mohammed  had  arrived, 
and  we  started  for  the  famous  pavilion. 

Mohammed  awaited  us.  We  were  both  tight- 
ly veiled,  of  course.  The  magnificent  embon- 
point of  my  sister  filled  the  foreground.  He  ad- 
vanced beaming,  and  held  out  a  paper  to  me  :  it 
was  the  pardon.  I  expressed  my  gratitude. 

"  You  have  but  to  give  me  an  order,"  he  re- 
plied, "  and  it  shall  be  immediately  executed.  I 
hope,  in  future,  that  you  will  exert  your  power 
without  hesitation." 

He  then  thanked  me  for  this  new  and  un- 
hoped-for favor  I  had  granted  him.  Hosnah  re- 
plied for  me.  Seated  near  her  on  the  divan,  I 
thought  that,  though  veiled,  I  was  no  longer  the 
unknown  of  our  first  interview  ;  I  felt  troubled. 


88  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

The  familiar  ease  of  the  relationship  of  my  sister 
to  the  young  Pasha  gave  the  conversation  a  tone 
nearly  of  intimacy.  Obliged  before  her  to  speak 
in  Arabic,  we  could  not  avoid  tutoyering  each 
other.  Though  we  strove  to  use  an  impersonal 
formula,  the  moment  came  when  we  were  com- 
pelled to  pronounce  the  first  "  tu"  Hosnah  seemed 
enchanted,  and  played  with  her  amber  beads. 
His  reserve  thrown  aside,  his  amiable  abandon 
and  playful  enjoyment  showed  me  my  suitor  in  a 
new  light.  In  the  course  of  our  conversation,  I 
was  surprised  to  discover  tokens  of  a  very  keen 
taste  for  beautiful  works  of  art,  and  had  the  want 
of  tact  to  express  my  astonishment. 

"  Own  that  you  think  me  a  barbarian,"  he  said 
playfully. 

"  I  will  only  own,"  I  replied  smilingly,  "  that 
I  had  never  dreamed  that  politics  would  leave 
you  leisure  to  become  well  informed  and  an  art- 
ist." 

I  am  not  very  sure  that  Hosnah  did  not  take 
this  remark  for  an  impertinence,  for  she  made  a 
terrified  sign.  But  this  argument  was  so  far 
above  her  ideas  that,  on  seeing  Seigneur  Moham- 
med laugh,  she  was  reassured,  doubtless  convinced 
that  it  was  his  indulgence  on  account  of  my  bad 
education.  I  must  tell  you  that,  in  spite  of  his 
great  air  of  discreet  reserve,  with  admirable  quick- 
ness, without  seeming  to  touch  on  it,  the  adroit 
diplomate  found  means  of  conveying  to  me  the 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  89 

intelligence  that  it  was  his  intention  after  a  little 
time  to  make  a  sojourn  in  Paris.  You  may  rest 
assured  I  shall  not  dissuade  him.  To  be  brief, 
after  the  interview  had  lasted  an  hour,  Hosnah 
rose,  and,  while  pretending  to  continue  the  con- 
versation, led  the  way  to  the  garden.  I  was 
forced  to  follow.  At  a  turn  of  the  path  she 
stopped  to  gather  a  rose,  and  I  was  alone  with 
the  enemy. 

"I  recognized  you  at  Choubrah,"  he  said  to 
me  in  French. 

I  attempted  to  jest,  to  conceal  my  embarrass- 
ment. 

"  And  you  failed  to  bow  to  me." 
"  Pardon  me  ;  I  forgot  everything." 
Hosnah,  with  her  rose  in  her  belt,  rejoined  us 
with  the  most  innocent  air.     TVe  had  reached  the 
little  door  which  communicates  with  the  harem. 
She   took  leave   of  Mohammed.     This   time   he 
held  out  his  hand  to  me  ;  I  hesitated  a  moment, 
and  then  placed  mine  in  it.     It  had  the  effect  on 
me  of  an  engagement  that  we  thus  sealed. 

You  may  know  that  during  the  days  which 
followed  there  was  much  talk  of  our  betrothal. 
My  father  and  Hosnah  ridicule  my  doubts,  which 
they  believe  to  be  insincere.  Even  Ali  is  in  the 
plot.  In  truth,  have  not  these  doubts  vanished  ? 
To  what  do  I  object  ?  Urged  by  all,  I  have 
much  fear  I  shall  yield.  Saida  is  already  busy 
over  my  toilets.  The  only  question  that  seems 


90  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

to  be  considered  is,  what  a  splendid  wedding  there 
shall  be. 

Tremble ;  behold  me  married  ! 


XIV. 

A  CLOUD  upon  the  azure  of  my  skies.  Has- 
san, that  unhappy  exile  whom  I  wished  to  save, 
has  not  left  Cairo.  Discovered  and  menaced,  the 
rash  man  has  not  believed  my  letter,  so  I  am 
again  tormented  by  the  recollection  of  my  foolish 
act.  It  is  a  long  story,  which  I  will  tell  you. 

For  more  than  a  week  I  could  not  tear  myself 
from  the  hands  and  the  devotion  of  Hosnah,  until 
yesterday,  under  a  pretext  of  having  something 
to  do  in  town,  I  escaped.  I  found  Adilah  ready 
to  go  out  for  one  of  her  solitary  rides  on  the  bank 
of  the  Nile. 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  I  cried,  taking  a  seat 
"beside  her. 

This  excursion  was  a  lively  pleasure  to  both  of 
us.  What  things  to  tell  each  other  !  How  many 
questions  about  my  marriage  !  We  soon  were 
on  the  road  beyond  the  town,  and  rode  along  the 
side  of  the  river,  having  at  our  left  an  undulating 
plain  which  lost  itself  in  a  golden  line  on  the  des- 
ert, and  seemed  to  die  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyra- 
mids, as  if  stifled  by  those  giant  piles.  No  one 
was  driving.  From  time  to  time  some  fellah,  or 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  91 

fellahine  with  jar  upon  her  head,  or  an  ass  trot- 
ting along  with  its  load,  was  the  only  visible  sign 
of  life. 

The  sun,  bathed  in  a  crimson  horizon,  cast  its 
shining  rays  on  the  tops  of  the  palms  ;  some  da- 
habiehs  dotted  the  river.  White  ibis  with  their 
long  feet  were  in  the  stream,  and  flaming  red  ones 
flying  among  the  weeds.  It  was  near  twilight, 
which  dies  so  rapidly  in  this  country,  but  the 
daylight  still  shone  in  softening  hues,  imprinting 
a  melancholy  grace  upon  the  mysterious  poesy  of 
night.  A  light  fog  like  gauze  enveloped  the  dis- 
tance ;  the  first  plains  were  visible,  and  the  blue 
of  the  heavens  became  yet  darker,  as  if  to  lend  to 
the  stars  their  bed  of  velvet. 

In  our  intimate  sympathy  we  yielded  to  the 
charm  of  this  tranquillity,  chattering  incessantly 
so  as  to  make  up  for  the  time  we  had  lost.  Safe 
from  meeting  any  one,  or  being  seen  on  this  iso- 
lated road,  we  had  raised  our  veils.  We  had  now 
reached  a  sort  of  creek,  which  was  used  as  a  lit- 
tle port.  Upon  some  barks,  moored  in  the  river, 
some  children,  half  naked  in  their  blue  rags,  di- 
verted themselves.  Suddenly  Adilah  uttered  a 
cry. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  I. 

"  Down  there,  on  one  of  the  boats,  a  child  has 
fallen  into  the  Nile." 

The  terrified  little  monkeys  ran  upon  the  bank 
screaming.  We  got  out,  and  Adilah  distractedly 


92  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

implored  her  people  for  aid,  but  they  only  looked 
at  us  amazed.  I  repeated  to  them  in  Arabic  that 
a  child  was  drowning.  Neither  eunuchs  nor  sals 
would  stir.  The  screams  increased  ;  the  poor 
little  one  instinctively  struggled,  but  it  was  easy 
to  foresee  the  frightful  end,  and  no  succor  to  look 
for,  when  happily  at  a  turn  of  the  road  a  horse- 
man appeared.  Attracted  by  our  cries  and  ges- 
tures of  despairing  appeal,  he  pressed  toward  us. 

"A  child  is  drowning,"  said  Adilah,  pointing 
with  her  hand  to  the  little  fellah  who  was  trying 
to  keep  himself  above  water. 

Without  taking  time  to  answer,  the  rider 
dashed  off  and  forced  his  horse  into  the  river. 
We  saw  him  seize  the  child,  who  clung  to  him 
with  a  convulsive  clasp  ;  but  the  current  is  so 
rapid  at  this  point  that  the  horse,  drawn  along  by 
it,  could  not  regain  the  bank.  We  had  some 
minutes  of  agony,  and  then  the  unknown  con- 
quered the  danger  and  placed  the  child  at  our  feet. 

The  rider  was  Hassan  ! 

Struck  dumb  by  the  sight,  I  let  Adilah  ex- 
press her  gratitude.  With  a  voice  shaken,  no 
doubt,  by  the  danger,  he  replied  in  French,  his 
eyes  fixed  on  us,  and  bowing  very  low. 

His  embarrassed  manner  increased  my  un- 
easiness. Suddenly,  in  the  confusion  caused  by 
this  accident,  a  word  from  one  of  the  terrified 
eunuchs,  who  lifted  his  arms  to  heaven,  reminded 
us  that  our  veils  were  raised.  I  quickly  lowered 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  93 

mine.  After  a  deep  reverence  Hassan  left  us, 
and  I  remained  in  consternation  at  such  a  rash 
disregard  of  the  warning  I  had  sent  him. 

Still  pale  and  trembling,  astonished  at  our 
care  of  him,  the  child  kept  looking  at  us.  At 
the  noise,  the  mother  came  out  of  her  hut — a 
large  woman  with  a  dark,  energetic  countenance, 
draped  in  the  blue  sarrau  of  the  fellahine.  She 
approached  calm  and  indifferent,  without  any 
alarm  or  joy.  ("What  is  written  is  written.")  I 
was  seized  with  regret  at  the  idea  of  throwing 
back  into  his  misery  this  poor  little  being  who 
owed  his  life  to  us.  I  offered  the  fellahine  money 
if  she  would  give  up  her  boy  to  me,  and  the  bar- 
gain was  concluded.  "We  took  him  with  us  in  the 
carriage. 

Very  much  agitated  by  these  events  we  re- 
gained the  town,  when,  in  driving  close  to  the 
side- wall  of  the  garden  which  joins  my  brother's 
palace,  a  branch  of  jasmine,  thrown  through  the 
door,  fell  on  my  lap.  Surprised,  we  looked  at 
each  other. 

"  It  is  our  neighbor,"  said  Adilah. 

I  was  so  irritated  that  my  first  impulse  was 
to  throw  the  flower  through  the  window,  but 
Adilah  picked  up  the  flower  and  handed  it  to 
me. 

"  It  is  justice,  after  all,"  she  said.  "  He  is  re- 
paying you." 

This  Oriental  homage,  crowning  our  adven- 


94  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

ture,  seemed  to  be  an  acknowledgment,  and  I 
had  not  the  cruelty  to  repulse  it.  I  accepted  the 
flower. 

On  my  return  to  Chimilah  I  had  to  explain  to 
my  father  the  introduction  of  my  adopted  fellah 
into  the  palace.  I  owned  my  flight  with  Adilah, 
and  related  how  he  had  been  saved.  He  did  not 
scold  much.  Be  it  understood  that  I  passed  over 
the  incident  of  the  veil,  and  the  name  of  the 
cavalier. 

The  remembrance  of  this  strange  encounter 
haunted  me.  With  the  branch  of  jasmine  before 
my  eyes  I  was  confounded. 

"  He  repays  himself,"  Adilah  had  said.  I 
could  no  longer  deceive  myself  :  he  knew  the 
heroine  of  the  beautiful  prank  at  the  window. 
But,  how  had  he  seen  me  ?  Through  some  open- 
ing, perhaps,  that  was  hidden  from  me  by  the 
leaves.  The  inexplicable  mystery  haunts  me  con- 
tinually. 

To  divert  my  mind  from  these  awkward  re- 
flections, I  made  them  bring  the  child,  whom 
Nazly  had  already  cleaned  and  dressed.  He  is 
a  little  fellow  of  about  five  years  old,  with  bold 
wild  eyes,  quite  beautiful  in  spite  of  his  air  like 
a  little  savage,  and  his  shaved  head.  He  is  called 
Mansour,  and  I  had  some  trouble  in  taming  him. 
But  he  let  himself  be  seduced  by  the  gold  in  my 
costume,  and  I  won  a  smile  from  him  by  the 
promise  of  the  dress  of  an  effendi. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  95 

Now,  when  I  have  exhausted  all  conjectures 
on  this  event  so  unlocked  for,  I  can  not  avoid 
trembling.  Has  this  unhappy,  proscribed  one 
ever  received  the  note  I  sent  ?  I  am  sure  Zourah 
gave  it  to  one  of  his  people.  A  terrible  anxiety 
assails  me.  Who  knows  ?  perhaps  one  of  his  own 
people  betrayed  him  !  Why,  then,  does  he  ap- 
pear not  to  have  been  given  up  ?  I  reflected  on 
the  puerile  means  I  had  employed.  Men  have 
the  audacity  which  leads  them  to  play  with  their 
lives  in  such  a  way  that  the  peril  increases  the 
interest ;  why,  then,  should  he  have  given  cre- 
dence to  an  anonymous  message  ?  Would  a  hid- 
den friend  be  likely  to'  avert  a  real  danger  from 
him? 

Tormented  by  this  idea,  of  which  I  could  not 
get  rid,  that  I  perhaps  still  assisted  in  his  danger, 
and  feeling  myself  a  coward  to  hesitate  after  his 
noble  act,  so  simply  performed,  I  resolved  to  at- 
tempt a  last  effort  to  save  him,  no  longer  recoil- 
ing before  the  miserable  fear  of  letting  him  sus- 
pect whence  came  his  safety.  Was  not  this  poor 
child,  who  owed  his  life  to  him,  already  a  link 
between  us  ?  Could  he  scorn  this  debt  of  grati- 
tude I  had  contracted  ?  I  immediately  wrote  a 
letter  in  an  explicit  manner,  telling  him  that  he 
had  been  seen  and  recognized,  revealing  to  him 
m  full  all  the  danger  I  knew  hanging  over  his 
head.  For  a  signature  I  slipped  in  my  letter 
some  jasmine  flowers. 


96  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Sure  of  Zourah,  I  ordered  that  this  time  she 
should  put  the  letter  in  his  own  hands  only.  Un- 
der her  habarah  and  veil,  it  was  very  easy  for  her 
to  accomplish  her  mission  without  his  people  sus- 
pecting she  was  other  than  a  slave.  When  the 
letter  had  gone  I  breathed  freely,  feeling  confi- 
dent of  the  success  of  my  attempt,  for  the  advice 
of  a  woman  neither  startles  nor  wounds  ;  seeing 
me  adopt  such  means,  he  could  not  doubt  how 
imminent  the  danger  was.  An  hour  later  Nazly 
returned.  Judge  of  my  amazement  when  she 
brought  me  this  answer,  which  I  read  in  terror  : 

"  What !  It  was  you  !  This  adorable  pity 
which  trembles  for  my  life,  does  it  come  from 
your  heart  ?  Ah !  may  you  be  blessed  for  this 
word,  for  those  flowers,  which,  like  the  Gulnare 
of  dreams,  you  let  fall  at  the  feet  of  the  poor 
poet  Hafiz.  Yes  !  I  will  be  wary  to  preserve  this 
sad  life,  which  exile  has  rendered  so  bitter  that 
for  a  long  time  I  have  not  wished  to  prolong  it, 
and  I  will  obey  you.  But  I  can  not  leave  here  ! 
Do  not  ask  it  more.  How  could  I  go  now  ?  I 
have  seen  you  ! — I  know  you  !  Ah  !  do  not  pun- 
ish me  for  this  cry  which  escapes  from  the  depths 
of  my  soul  !  It  only  reaches  you  as  the  most 
humble  gratitude — as  toward  a  deity.  I  know 
you  ;  I  have  seen  you  !  I  know  who  you  are,  and 
I  would  not  trust  my  lips  even  to  pronounce  your 
name,  but,  in  the  midst  of  danger,  I  shall  know 
that  a  good  angel  protects  me.  Blessed  are 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  97 

you,  for  you  have  increased  my  courage  and  my 
faith!" 

When  I  had  finished  the  letter,  I  remained 
motionless,  overwhelmed  with  astonishment.  In 
writing  my  note  I  had  yielded  to  an  impulse  of 
compassion.  This  unexpected  answer  caused  me 
unspeakable  terror.  Under  the  humility  of  this 
respect  and  enthusiastic  joy  lurked  an  avowal 
which  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  mistake.  He 
loved  me,  and  he  dared  to  tell  me  he  would  not 
go  away.  On  seeing  this  result  of  my  impru- 
dence, I  asked  myself  by  what  madness  I  had 
been  made  guilty  of  it. 

Yet  I  strove  to  struggle  against  these  fears, 
which  were  possibly  too  great ;  perhaps  his  senti- 
ments were  only  a  poet's  gratitude,  decked  in 
Oriental  imagery,  and  the  natural  exaggeration 
of  a  service  rendered  by  a  woman.  I  read  it  over 
again,  weighing  each  word,  and  scrutinizing  each 
thought  which  had  dictated  it.  Alas  !  I  could  not 
deceive  myself — I  could  not  doubt.  Each  word 
was  a  flame.  This  unhappy  man  loved  me,  and, 
in  the  confusion  and  terror  into  which  I  am  thrown, 
I  can  accuse  no  one  but  myself.  Did  I  not  do  it 
all?  The  folly  with  which  I  amused  myself  at 
the  window  he  took  for  encouragement — a  hope, 
perhaps.  Great  Heavens  !  what  must  he  have  sus- 
pected as  the  cause  of  my  imprudence  ?  But  no, 
his  love,  so  humble,  so  resigned,  which  from  afar, 
in  his  retreat,  would  cause  him  to  sacrifice  even 
7 


98  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

his  life  for  me,  is  a  love  without  hope.  He  says 
so.  Must  he  not  know,  then,  that  I  am  to  be  mar- 
ried ? — that  he  can  never  approach  me  ?  And  yet 
he  will  not  fly  ;  he  will  not  abandon  the  place  I 
live  in,  the  house  which  speaks  to  him  of  me. 
Poor  boy ! 


XV. 

EVENTS  have  so  crowded  on  each  other,  at  the 
very  moment  when  I  believed  myself  delivered 
from  all  cause  of  uneasiness,  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find  time  even  to  write  you.  Happily,  all 
is  done  well  this  time,  and  in  the  consciousness  of 
having  repaired  my  error  I  can  efface  it  by  for- 
getting it.  Some  days  had  passed  since  those  idle 
terrors  of  which  no  trace  remained,  when  one 
morning  Ali  came  to  see  me.  During  our  con- 
versation, I  perceived,  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  be 
amused,  a  certain  preoccupied  air.  He  had  come 
from  the  palace,  where  they  had  just  discovered 
that  a  conspiracy  exists,  and  that  a  relation  of  the 
Viceroy — a  bitter  enemy  of  Mohammed — is  at  the 
head  of  it.  The  name  of  Hassan  was  mixed  with 
these  rumors.  I  could  not  help  blushing. 

"  Is  he  in  danger  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  At  least  he  has  a  good  deal  to  dread,"  re- 
plied he.  "  Mohammed  is  a  man  with  brains  and 
energy." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  99 

I  felt  myself  shiver ;  with  a  faltering  voice  I 
questioned  him,  and  learned  that  our  family  inter- 
ests, closely  connected  with  those  of  Mohammed, 
disturbed  him  more  than  he  chose  to  own. 

The  entrance  of  my  sister  Hosnah  prevented 
our  continuing  the  subject.  On  perceiving  AH, 
she  could  not  repress  a  movement  of  her  brow, 
which  recalled  the  Hosnah  of  old  ;  but  she  imme- 
diately controlled  herself,  and  came  to  me  holding 
out  both  hands.  When  she  was  seated,  conversa- 
tion recommenced,  with  some  constraint,  on  in- 
different subjects.  In  regard  to  Ali,  she  affected 
that  sort  of  ignoring  which  conveys  the  utmost 
contempt.  My  brother  soon  took  leave  of  me. 
When  he  had  gone — 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  intimate,"  she  said  in 
a  suspicious  manner. 

"  Yes  ;  is  it  not  very  natural  ?  " 

"  Do  you  see  him  often  ?  " 

"  Not  as  often  as  I  should  desire." 

"  And  his  wife  ?  "  she  continued,  fastening  her 
eyes  on  mine. 

The  promise  I  had  given  my  father  forced  me 
to  evade  her  question.  I  was  slightly  embar- 
rassed. 

"  You  well  know  we  must  not  receive  her," 
replied  I,  smiling  to  hide  my  confusion. 

But  I  was  uneasy  about  what  Ali  had  .been 
telling  me,  and  questioned  Hosnah. 

"  Bah  ! "  she   said,  shrugging  her   shoulders. 


100         •  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

"  Do  not  make  yourself  uneasy  about  Moham- 
med ;  he  has  them  in  his  grasp  this  moment, 
and,  if  he  delays  acting,  it  is  only  to  crush  them 
more  completely  when  the  right  moment  ar- 
rives." 

I  let  her  take  me  to  Choubrah.  We  were  re- 
turning from  our  drive  when  a  battalion  of  weary 
soldiers,  covered  with  dust,  and  who  seemed  to 
have  arrived  after  a  long  march,  passed  us. 
With  a  sort  of  joyous  curiosity,  Hosnah  lifted 
the  blind  softly,  to  see  them  pass. 

"  We  shall  have  news  to-morrow,"  she  said. 

Astonished,  warned  by  a  presentiment,  I  ques- 
tioned her. 

"  Pshaw  !  "  she  replied  in  a  low  tone,  "  it  is  a 
secret  which  concerns  you.  Mohammed  will  prob- 
ably this  night  make  away  with  enemies  mad 
enough  to  dare  to  attack  him." 

I  returned  to  Chimilah  a  prey  to  the  most 
horrible  pangs.  In  this  lawless  country,  where 
an  order  is  all  that  is  requisite  for  an  execution, 
they  were  going  to  take  Hassan's  life.  Could  I  let 
them  commit  this  crime,  all  the  fault  of  which 
would  be  mine  ?  It  was  no  longer  now  a  ques- 
tion of  imprudence  or  rashness.  I  had  a  duty  to 
fulfill,  a  reparation  to  make,  which  it  would  be 
cowardly  to  frustrate.  I  must  speak  to  Hassan, 
must  confess  to  him  that  I  was  the  involuntary 
cause  of  the  danger  which  hung  over  his  head, 
show  him  his  blind  folly,  and,  if  needful,  implore 


THE  RETURN  OF  TBfr  EHZNCE3S 


him  to  fly  for  the  sake  of'.piy^utiirs1  ptjaee.*  'Af- 
ter all,  was  I  not  convinced  of  his  respect  ?  Hum- 
ble and  resigned  as  he  is,  he  would  know  how  to 
suppress,  in  my  presence,  that  adoration  which 
he  doubtless  betrayed  under  a  conviction  that  we 
should  never  meet.  What  had  I  to  fear  from  a 
heart  so  grand,  so  strong  in  its  abnegation? 
Does  not  my  rank  place  me  above  suspicion? 
Besides,  am  I  not  already  the  wife  of  Moham- 
med ?  A  soul  like  his  could  not  mistake  my  in- 
terest, but  would  understand,  in  the  dignity  of  an 
engagement,  that  any  other  sentiment  would  be 
an  insult.  Was  I  not  encouraging  my  weakness 
by  these  scruples,  which,  at  heart,  I  felt  to  be 
cowardly?  It  seemed  by  a  providential  chance 
that  all  obstacles  smoothed  their  own  way,  as  if 
to  constrain  my  doubts  and  conquer  my  timidity. 
Did  not  Zourah's  house  offer  a  safe  place  of  meet- 
ing ?  What  would  be  the  harm  of  meeting  him 
there,  under  the  protection  of  these  two  women, 
in  whose  devotion  I  could  so  entirely  confide  ? 
Certain  of  the  discretion  of  ISTazly,  veiled  and  dis- 
guised under  the  habarah  of  some  slave,  what 
chance  was  there  that  Zourah  would  recognize 
me  at  all  ?  or  would  not  rather  suspect  me  to  be 
a  woman  from  Chimilah,  some  friend  of  her  sis- 
ter's ?  I  had  still  to  hesitate  before  deciding  ; 
but  could  I  live  with  the  thought  that  his  life  was 
in  my  hands,  perhaps  ?  Each  hour  which  passed 
would  increase  his  peril,  yet  still  I  hesitated  and 


102  ,TUE  TvKTWN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


ba  ck.  .  £  ,  eou!<4  Ipfcar  it  no  longer.  I  called 
Nazly. 

"  Are  you  not  devoted  to  me  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  My  dear  mistress,  even  unto  death  !  " 

"  Well,  you  must  assist  me  in  saving  an  un- 
happy man,  whom  they  intend  to  put  to  death 
this  very  night,  for  I  have  been  the  cause  of  his 
ruin." 

I  then  revealed  my  project  to  her.  She  was 
terrified,  and  offered  violent  resistance  ;  but,  see- 
ing me  so  desperate,  and  ready  to  commit  any 
folly,  she  yielded.  Time  passed.  I  gave  her  this 
note,  which  Zourah  was  to  carry  immediately, 
without  knowing,  any  more  than  the  two  previous 
times,  who  had  sent  it  : 

"  This  ic  oman  will  conduct  you  to  where  I 
await  you" 

A  spray  of  jasmine  still  served  me  for  a  sig- 
nature. When  the  time  arrived,  disguised  with 
care,  I  started  with  Nazly,  who  often  goes  out 
thus,  accompanied  by  some  slave.  A  hackney- 
coach  awaited  us,  and  we  got  in.  My  decision 
had  been  made  after  many  doubts  and  combat- 
ings,  and  yet  I  felt  fears  assailing  me  anew.  The 
sort  of  feverish  energy  which  had  sustained  me 
in  preparing  for  a  departure  so  rash  and  danger- 
ous abandoned  me.  I  was  amazed  to  have  dared 
it.  But  did  I  not,  after  all,  exaggerate  the  bear- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  103 

ing  of  this  interview  ?  Could  it  have  any  other 
motive  than  a  natural  pity?  A  meeting  for  a 
moment,  closely  veiled,  and  in  the  presence  of 
Nazly,  had  certainly  nothing  mysterious  about  it. 
Had  I  not  already  spoken  to  him  in  the  presence 
of  Adilah  and  her  people  ?  Enlightened  as  to  his 
foolish  enterprise,  and  told  by  me  of  its  hopeless- 
ness, he  could  no  longer  hesitate  to  yield  to  the 
only  course  which  could  save  him.  * 

The  coach  stopped  in  a  lonely  road  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  where  the  little  white  house 
was  half  hidden  from  sight  by  the  sycamores.  I 
was  in  advance  of  the  time.  Nazly  alone  fol- 
lowed me  into  a  little  garden  close  in  the  rear  of 
the  house.  Day  began  to  fall,  but  there  was  still 
such  a  transparent  light  that  I  could  even  distin- 
guish the  outlines  of  the  Pyramids  commanding 
the  horizon  like  great  gray  phantoms.  It  was  a 
soft,  balmy,  azure  twilight.  I  looked  around  pal- 
pitating and  oppressed  ;  those  moments  of  wait- 
ing seemed  centuries.  The  little  door  opened 
suddenly,  and  Zourah  appeared,  followed  by  a 
man.  When  he  reached  me  he  knelt  and  kissed 
the  hem  of  my  mantle,  while  Nazly  and  her  sister 
moved  off  to  a  distance. 

There  are  sometimes  strange  sensations  which 
abruptly  take  us  by  surprise,  and  defeat  the  most 
wisely  calculated  foresight.  I  had  prepared  for 
this  interview,  but  in  vain  I  called  all  my  sang-froid 
to  my  aid ;  I  could  not  think  of  a  word  to  say. 


104  THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

I  stood  perfectly  still  under  my  boiirko — then 
made  him  a  sign  to  rise,  and  hesitatingly  faltered 
a  few  embarrassed  sentences  in  French,  because 
my  women  did  not  understand  that  language.  I 
alluded  to  the  service  he  had  rendered  the  child 
whom  I  had  taken,  and  gave  that  as  an  excuse  for 
my  unusual  proceeding,  and  revealed  to  him  the 
design  which  was  intended  on  this  night. 

"  I  bless  the  peril  I  passed  through,  since  it 
has  won  me  thanks  from  your  lips,"  replied  he, 
with  a  glance  that  betrayed  all  his  repressed  agi- 
tation. "  I  am  proud  and  happy  at  this  present 
danger,  to  which  I  owe  your  pity,  and  to  which  I 
owe  the  joy  of  seeing  you  to-day — a  thing  I  have 
never  dared  to  hope  for." 

I  was  alarmed  at  his  calmness,  and  the  accent 
in  which  he  pronounced  these  words.  I  strove 
in  vain  to  prevent  my  mind  from  understanding 
the  sense  of  them  ;  the  recollection  of  his  let- 
ter weighed  on  us  both.  His  repressed  passion, 
united  to  his  respectful  timidity,  moved  me  much 
more  than  an  avowal  would  have  done.  Could 
I  take  offense  at  the  silent  ecstasy  that  I  read  in 
his  eyes  ? 

By  degrees  I  conquered  my  embarrassment, 
and  spoke  to  him  of  his  menaced  life — that  he 
must  preserve  it  to  give  me  peace,  and  I  entreated 
him  to  fly. 

"  No,"  he  said,  when  I  ceased,  in  his  deep,  rich 
voice— <(  no,  I  shall  not  go  ;  I  do  not  wish  to  go." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  105 

And  if  I  order  you  ?  " 

At  this  word,  which  escaped  me,  I  felt  myself 
crimson  under  my  veil ;  for  did  not  this  reveal 
that  I  knew  his  love,  and  that  I  was  not  offended 
at  the  knowledge?  He  so  understood  it.  His 
eyes  sparkled,  but  he  immediately  cast  them 
down. 

"  No  !  You  could  not  order  me  to  desert  my 
cause,"  he  said.  "  You  would  scorn  me  as  a  cow- 
ard if  I  did  fly." 

And  he  enthusiastically  painted  the  mission 
on  which  he  had  been  sent  to  redeem  his  country 
from  oppression  and  theft.  He  described  the 
poor  fellahs  bending  under  the  courbash  of  the 
masters,  and  to  whom  nothing  belonged — not 
even  the  products  of  their  fields. 

While  he  spoke  I  looked  at  him.  In  the  faint 
light  his  countenance  softened,  and  appeared  as 
if  transfigured.  I  was  astonished  to  find  him  no 
longer  ugly.  The  fire  in  his  eyes  gave  a  strange 
brightness  to  his  severe,  dark  expression. 

"  But,"  I  answered  with  less  assurance,  "  it  is 
an  idle  struggle." 

"  What  matters  that,  if  duty  forces  it  on  me  ?  " 

He  saw  me  shiver. 

"  Oh,  do  not  tremble,"  he  said  eagerly. 
"  Thanks  to  you,  am  I  not  saved  until  to-mor- 
row ?  And  to-morrow — who  knows — ?  " 

"  Have  you  some  hope,  then  ?  "  I  cried,  moved 
by  this  answer. 


106  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  as  if  battling  with  the 
fear  of  betraying  himself. 

"  Pardon  me  if  I  am  silent  on  that  point,"  he 
then  replied,  "  but  have  confidence,  and  be  tran- 
quil. I  wish  to  live,  and  have  I  not  at  this  hour 
a  talisman  which  protects  me  ?  " 

And  he  placed  before  my  eyes  a  sprig  of  dried 
jasmine.  I  did  not  answer.  There  was  perfect 
silence,  and  I  felt  his  gaze  weigh  upon  me.  He 
slightly  leaned  toward  me,  and  in  a  low  and 
troubled  voice — 

"  I  already  owe  too  much  happiness  to  you," 
he  said  softly.  My  heart  beat  so  I  did  not  dare 
to  speak. 

"  I  have  had  little  joy  in  the  world,"  he  con- 
tinued ;  "  the  liveliest  has  been  the  gift  of  this 
poor  flower  :  there  are  moments  which  are  worth 
an  eternity." 

Suddenly  a  dark  shadow  rose  near  us  ;  it  was 
the  signal  for  departure  given  by  Nazly. 

For  an  instant  we  remained  standing  before 
each  other. 

"Adieu  !  "  I  murmured. 

"  Adieu  !  "  he  repeated. 

It  was  only  after  my  return  home,  alone  in  the 
silence,  not  having  to  tremble  or  to  think,  that  I 
began  to  recover.  With  that  sort  of  complacency 
which  leads  us  to  brood  over  all  that  has  violently 
agitated  and  shaken  us,  I  recalled  the  least  inci- 
dents of  my  audacious  escapade.  My  heart  flut- 


THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  107 

tered  still  with  a  thousand  confused  impressions. 
Certain  that  I  had  now  acquitted  myself  toward 
him,  I  again  saw  myself  in  the  garden,  reading 
his  eyes  and  divining  his  thoughts.  Had  I  not 
let  fall  some  imprudent  words  which  revealed  that 
I  was  aware  of  his  passion  ?  What  must  he  think 
of  me  ?  I  calmed  myself  by  the  thought  that  I 
had  disabused  the  mind  of  this  poor  madman. 
An  adieu  had  ended  his  dream  of  a  day. 

Yet  I  could  not  sleep  at  night.  If  he  went, 
could  he  escape  them  ?  I  had  opened  a  window 
of  the  veranda,  not  recollecting  that  the  park  at 
Chimilah  cut  off  all  noises,  and  depending  on  the 
rarity  of  the  air  to  bring  me  some  sound  of  what 
was  taking  place  at  that  hour.  Nothing  !  The 
sky,  the  stars  with  their  mild  light,  illumined  the 
parterres,  whence  rose  odoriferous  breathings. 
Daylight  surprised  me  still  up.  I  told  myself 
then  that  this  terrible  adventure  was  unknown. 
As  to  Zourah — as  I  said  before,  she  believed  she 
carried  a  letter  from  some  woman  of  the  harem. 
From  what  passed  at  her  house  she  can  suspect 
nothing.  Thus,  then,  no  one  will  ever  discover 
that  the  Princess  Miriam  protected  this  unfortu- 
nate, nor  suspect  that  one  evening  she  left  her 
palace  to  speak  with  him.  Now,  deprived  of  all 
hope,  the  poor  poet  will  live,  and  the  remem- 
brance of  this  incident  will  weaken  in  his  mind 
with  time,  which  effaces  all  things. 

The  next  morning  I  had  scarcely  risen  when 


108  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Nazly  entered,  handing  me  a  letter  which  bore  no 
address. 

"  Where  did  this  letter  come  from  ?  "  I  asked 
in  amazement. 

"  Zourah  brought  it  to  me.  A  slave  carried  it 
to  her  house  and  desired  her  to  convey  it  imme- 
diately to  the  hanum  who  had  come  to  visit  her 
garden  yesterday." 

I  tremblingly  opened  the  paper.  Some  jas- 
mine flowers  fell  upon  my  knees.  I  read  : 

"  This  act  of  thanks  will  reach  you  to  say  that 
you  have  saved  me.  Alas  !  in  leaving  you  I  knew 
that  the  adieu  from  your  lips  was  a  final  adieu, 
and  that  I  should  never  see  you  more,  but  I  bear 
in  my  heart  the  imperishable  souvenir  of  that 
pity  of  an  instant  that  you  felt  for  me.  From  the 
retirement  of  the  retreat  which  I  have  secured,  I 
do  not  wish  one  cloud  to  still  trouble  the  calm 
peace  of  your  happy  life.  Know,  then,  that  I  am 
free  ;  that  the  perils  which  made  you  tremble  are 
now  no  more  than  idle  shadows  ;  and  that  I  re- 
member." When  I  had  finished,  an  unspeakable 
sadness  took  possession  of  me.  Tears  of  tender- 
ness wet  my  eyes.  The  danger  now  removed,  in 
spite  of  myself,  I  pity  this  love  so  full  of  abnega- 
tion, so  respectful,  so  humble  in  its  hopelessness 
that  it  does  not  even  utter  a  complaint.  The  so- 
licitude for  my  peace,  which  has  made  him  no 
doubt  brave  danger  to  send  me  this  note,  touches 
me  to  the  depths  of  my  soul !  Poor  boy  1  I  have 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  109 

repaired  the  evil  that  my  imprudence  might  have 
caused  him.  I  am  quits  with  my  conscience,  and 
with  him. 

Such  is  the  end  of  my  prank. 


XVI. 

I  RECOGNIZE  you  well  there,  Martha,  and  you 
have  been  truly  idle  to  tremble  for  your  adven- 
turous Miriam  as  you  call  her.  Of  this  romance, 
which  makes  you  so  uneasy,  there  only  remains  at 
this  hour  a  withered  sprig  of  jasmine.  Your  little 
princess  is  of  a  rank  which  sufficiently  protects 
her  from  the  scorn  which  might  wound  her  pride. 
To  put  a  seal  on  this  secret  for  ever,  I  have  writ- 
ten to  this  unhappy  man  a  last  reasonable  letter, 
and  I  have  again  taken  up  my  old  course  of  life, 
so  very  busy,  I  assure  you,  with  preparations  for 
my  marriage  that  it  leaves  no  time  to  give  way 
to  that  natural  nonchalance  of  my  race  with  which 
you  have  so  often  reproached  me.  In  eight  days 
the  Ramadan  will  be  over,  and,  urged  by  my 
father,  I  have  pronounced  the  word  which  will 
accomplish  my  destiny.  You  can  judge  of  the 
joy  at  Chimilah.  Day  before  yesterday,  depart- 
ing more  than  ever  from  the  established  rules, 
there  was  a  new  visit  to  the  famous  pavilion, 
where  Seigneur  Mohammed  came  this  time  under 
the  character  of  fianc'e.  Understand,  I  was  still 


110  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

closely  wrapped  in  my  veils.  Honestly,  he  did 
not  utter  his  protestations  badly.  Timid  and  im- 
passioned by  turns,  he  yet  had  a  certain  hardness 
of  glance  which  presages  the  master — h'm  !  Mar- 
tha !  He  would  have  been  perfect  if  he  had  not 
let  me  suspect  that  he  treats  me  like  a  child. 

Before  this  proud  man,  to  whom  I  must  one 
day  humble  myself,  I  could  not  prevent  my 
thoughts  from  returning  to  the  foolish  dreams 
you  know  of.  But,  pshaw  !  all  that  has  flown. 
The  glory  and  fortune  of  our  family  are  at  stake  ! 
We  have  arranged  the  routine  of  my  house.  The 
gratings  are  newly  gilded,  as  is  suitable  for  one 
of  the  rarest  of  birds.  Each  morning  magnificent 
baskets  of  presents  are  sent  to  the  harem.  I  find 
among  them  unknown  flowers  which  seem  to  have 
been  forced  expressly  for  me.  Never  was  there 
more  radiant  happiness.  .  .  .  Do  not  pay  any  at- 
tention to  these  blistered  lines.  Without  know- 
ing why,  I  melted  into  tears  ;  that  is  all,  and  they 
have  washed  them. 


XVII. 

MOKE  and  more  enchanted,  Hosnah  has  put 
herself  at  the  head  of  all  the  preparations  for  the 
important  day.  She  desires  that  Cairo  shall  long 
remember  such  a  fdte.  Owing  to  this  diversion, 
I  have  gained  some  respite,  which  I  have  profited 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  HI 

by  to  go  and  see  Adilah.  My  father  is  so  joyous 
that  I  do  not  despair  of  arriving  at  the  great  aim 
I  have  pursued  in  fancy — to  make  him  acknowl- 
edge the  poor,  lonely  girl.  You  know  how  in- 
dulgent he  is  to  my  escapades.  He  listens  when 
I  speak  of  her  ;  and  he  no  longer  forbids  me  to 
visit  her,  but  feigns  unconsciousness.  I  have  al- 
ready Sa'ida  as  an  ally.  Were  she  not  afraid  of 
being  disagreeable  to  Hosnah,  we  would  be  sure 
of  the  zeal  of  my  step-mother,  on  condition  always 
that  she  remains  hidden  behind  the  curtain. 

Mansour — my  little  savage  —  is  a  charming 
child  ;  you  can  not  imagine  the  affection  this 
poor  little  fellow  has  for  me  :  he  only  seems  to 
live  in  my  presence.  Saida  is  devoted  to  him, 
and  we  take  him  out  to  drive  with  us,  which,  the 
other  day,  was  the  cause  of  a  curious  incident. 
We  had  gone  out  in  the  coach.  The  weather  was 
so  beautiful  that  passing  Choubrah  we  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  when  the  idea  occurred  to  me 
of  taking  the  child  to  see  his  mother.  The  scene 
was  the  same  as  before  :  the  same  children — 
yaoulets,  as  they  call  them — were  playing  on  the 
boats  moored  there,  and  startling  the  scarlet  fla- 
mingoes. Some  buffaloes  dotted  the  blue  water 
with  great  spots  of  black,  while  the  little  fellah- 
ines,  slender  and  graceful  in  their  cloth  draperies, 
with  jars  upon  their  heads  in  the  form  of  amphora 
vases,  which  each  supports  with  the  arm  of  a 
caryatid  covered  with  glass  bracelets,  went  and 


112  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

came  with  the  easy,  undulating  grace  of  antique 
statues.  Mansour,  on  seeing  his  old  comrades, 
wished  to  get  out  and  show  himself  in  his  dress 
of  an  effendi,  and  we  permitted  him  to  do  so. 
We  were  soon  surrounded,  and  you  can  imagine 
the  cries  of  joy  and  wonder. 

We  followed  the  road  on  foot  to  reach  a  clus- 
ter of  huts  which  were  about  a  hundred  yards  off, 
when  suddenly  Mansour  dropped  my  hand,  and 
dashed  off  after  a  stranger  who  was  crossing  the 
road.  The  pedestrian  turned  round  :  it  was  Has- 
san. Letting  the  child  lead  him,  he  came  toward 
us,  but — withheld  by  respect — stopped.  My  gaze 
met  his  ;  he  started — no  doubt,  discovering  it  was 
me — bowed  his  head  in  secret  recognition,  and 
smiling  gently  on  the  little  fellah,  as  if  I  must 
take  the  smile  to  myself,  went  on  without  daring 
to  proffer  a  word. 

You  may  believe  I  was  much  exercised  in  an- 
swering Saida's  questions,  for  she  was  greatly  puz- 
zled with  this  by-play.  When  she  learned  that 
he  was  the  man  who  saved  Mansour — 

"  How  ugly  he  is  !  "  she  cried. 

I  know  not  why,  but  this  exclamation  spread 
peace  into  my  soul.  Certainly  the  ugliness  of 
the  poor  poet  Hafiz  absolves  me  for  the  secret 
bond  so  strangely  formed  between  us,  and  of 
which  chance  seems  to  renew  the  remembrance. 
I  told  you,  I  think,  that  Mansour's  mother  is  a 
fortune-teller.  She  was  standing  in  the  doorway, 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS  113 

and,  seeing  me  approach  with  the  child,  rushed  to 
throw  herself  at  my  feet  and  kiss  the  hem  of  my 
habarah  with  great  effusion  of  gratitude. 

"  Enter,  hanums"  she  said,  in  the  gravje  and 
dignified  manner  of  a  sibyl. 

While  she  devoted  herself  to  embracing  her 
son,  I  examined  with  amazement  the  interior, 
which  I  had  entered  after  much  repugnance.  In 
the  place  of  that  sordid  poverty  and  dirt  which 
are  ordinarily  to  be  found  in  the  dwellings  of  the 
fellahs,  there  was  a  comparative  cleanliness  which 
almost  testified  to  a  certain  ease.  The  cabin  had 
only  one  room,  lighted  by  the  open  door,  so  that 
the  farther  end  was  in  darkness.  We  seated  our- 
selves on  a  divan  of  red  cotton  cloth  ;  on  a  mat 
before  us  were  carefully  arranged  some  little  pot- 
tery cups,  some  shells,  and  some  cheese  ;  and  on 
one  side  a  writing-desk  and  some  old  books.  Si- 
lent, and  impressed  by  all  this,  Saida  looked  around 
with  curiosity. 

Thin,  bronzed,  with  strongly  marked  harsh 
features,  the  guayari  has  an  air  of  savage  energy 
which  must  inspire  confidence  and  terror  in  her 
fortune-telling.  Her  eyes,  shaded  with  kohl  as 
far  as  the  middle  of  her  cheeks,  have  a  savage 
glitter,  which  abash  the  gaze  and  seem  to  wrest 
one's  secret  thoughts  involuntarily.  She  knelt  at 
my  feet,  searching  me  with  her  dark  orbs. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,"  she  said. 

I  refused,  but  Saida  timidly  held  hers  out. 
8 


114  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

The  sorceress  held  the  little  hand  in  hers,  and 
appeared  to  study  the  lines,  then  without  say- 
ing a  word  she  rose  and  returned  with  a  stand 
upon  which  a  live  adder  was  crawling.  Saida 
screamed. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,"  she  said.  "  It  is  a  harm- 
less reptile." 

And,  as  if  she  wished  to  show  us  what  was 
dangerous,  she  went  and  brought  a  little  cage 
which  she  placed  before  our  eyes.  A  serpent, 
rolled  into  a  ring  scarcely  larger  than  a  bracelet, 
seemed  sleeping  on  a  bed  of  sand.  It  was  an  asp, 
whose  sting  is  mortal,  and  which  is  used  only  in 
the  most  terrible  incantations. 

Of  course  the  fortune-teller  only  predicted 
happiness,  fortune,  power,  and  all  smiling  proph- 
ecies, until  Saida  was  beaming.  Before  going 
away  I  gave  Salome  permission  to  come  and  see 
her  son  at  Chimilah. 


XVIII. 

I  HAVE  had  an  interview  with  my  father,  which 
was  at  the  same  time  solemn  and  charming,  in 
which  he  complimented  me  by  treating  me  as  a 
daughter  with  intelligence  enough  to  understand 
things,  and  to  be  associated  with  the  ambitious 
projects  that  he  does  not  confide  to  the  narrow 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  115 

minds  of  my  elder  sisters.  He  did  not  conceal 
from  me  the  fact  that,  in  the  present  ruined  state 
of  our  family  affairs,  they  depend  solely  on  me  to 
raise  them  up.  Politics  and  caprice  of  the  rulers 
being  in  this  country  the  only  source  of  wealth 
and  favor,  he  unfolded  to  me  the  hopes  arising 
from  this  splendid  marriage  of  mine,  and  he  en- 
tered into  the  most  confidential  details.  The  in- 
fluence that  I  appear  to  have  gained  already  over 
Mohammed  does  not  leave  a  doubt  of  the  sover- 
eign power  I  shall  be  able  to  wield.  The  harem, 
my  dear,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  holds  here  a 
more  important  place  than  you  may  suppose  in 
the  control  of  the  government.  My  role  is  admir- 
able, and,  in  view  of  the  high  position  I  shall  be 
called  to  fill,  if  I  am  to  believe  the  style  of  the 
adulation  of  which  I  am  the  recipient  in  the  in- 
numerable visits  I  receive,  behold  me  already  the 
most  envied  hanum  in  Egypt.  Hosnah  and  Fa- 
rideh  have  introduced  me  to  their  most  titled 
friends  in  Cairo.  I  am  enthroned,  and  actually 
have  almost  a  court,  where  the  two  parties  mingle, 
and  petitions  are  presented  to  me  as  if  I  were  the 
wife  of  a  vizier.  . 

Two  new  interviews  with  my  fiance  have  now 
definitely  settled  our  future,  and,  save  that  he 
only  knows  me  by  my  eyes,  the  bond  that  unites 
our  souls  is  firmly  knitted.  Workmen  are  in  his 
palace  arranging  my  harem  in  French  style,  and  I 
learn  through  Hosnah  that  he  is  spending  nearly 


116  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS 

a  million  dollars  on  it.  Think  if  I  am  loved — and 
if  I  shall  not  be  happy  !  .  .  . 

To  escape  the  fatigue  of  the  visitors  whom  my 
happiness  has  already  secured  me,  I  drive  out  of 
town,  where,  alone  with  Bell,  I  can  collect  my 
thoughts.  Nearly  each  time  I  have  met  the  poor 
poet  Hafiz  at  the  same  spot,  who  seems  to  come 
there  and  wait  to  see  me  pass.  Perhaps  he  is  in 
concealment  in  some  hut  in  the  neighborhood. 
Through  precaution  for  him,  though,  I  have  for 
several  days  discontinued  going  there,  hoping 
that  when  he  does  not  see  me  any  longer  he  will 
cease  his  painful  attendance  ;  but,  some  whim  of 
Hosnah's  leading  us  through  the  same  road,  I  met 
him  again  more  sad  and  paler  than  before.  More 
touched  than  I  cared  to  be  by  this  patient  devo- 
tion, which  can  only  bring  him  suffering,  I  re- 
solved to  at  least  spare  his  poor,  noble  heart  the 
torture  of  an  effort  so  agonizing.  The  next  morn- 
ing, arming  myself  with  all  my  courage,  I  went 
out  alone  with  Bell,  and,  as  my  coach  passed  be- 
fore him,  I  let  fall  a  sprig  of  jasmine,  to  which  I 
had  fastened  this  cold,  harsh  farewell  :  "  I  will 
return  here  no  more." 

The  same  evening  Nazly's  sister  brought  me 
this  note  : 

"  Pardon,  pardon  me  for  being  so  unhappy  as 
to  cause  you  annoyance.  Alas  !  that  it  should 
be  my  fault  that  you  should  avoid  that  road  be- 
cause I  was  there  !  But  now  I  recognize  my 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  117 

error.     Return — return ;  I  will  obey  you.     You 
shall  not  see  me  again." 

Poor  fellow  !  In  receiving  these  lines,  where 
not  a  word  of  complaint  escapes  his  desolated 
heart,  I  realize  how  harsh  I  have  been.  This 
abnegation  of  self  before  his  idol  touches  me  to 
the  depths  of  my  soul.  He  has  the  strength  of 
a  lion,  my  dear,  under  this  timid  humility.  I 
have  again  read  his  "Princess  Gulnare."  An 
Eastern  poet  alone  could  paint  its  burning  pas- 
sion. One  of  these  days  I  will  translate  it  for 
you. 


XIX. 

MAKTHA  !  you  are  the  only  one  to  whom  I 
can  confide  my  most  secret  thoughts.  Whether 
guilty  or  imprudent,  I  know  that  I  shall  always 
find  in  your  heart  the  inextinguishable  love  of  a 
sister.  No  !  Do  not  say  I  have  deceived  you, 
if,  in  consequence  of  an  idle  act,  which  up  to  this 
hour  troubles  me,  I  have  done  injustice  to  my- 
self. I  will  at  least  open  my  soul  to  you,  and  let 
you  search  there,  like  another  conscience  which 
forms  part  of  my  being.  Yes  !  you  had  foreseen 
that,  always  pursuing  chimeras,  the  imagination 
of  your  poor  Miriam  would  stray  beyond  your 
advice  and  judgment.  Led  away  by  a  miserable 


118  THE  RETURN  OF  THE   PRINCESS. 

feeling  of  coquetry,  perhaps,  I  have  not  kept  my 
promise  !  I  have  written,  I  have  answered  his 
letters,  which  breathe  such  resigned,  submissive 
love.  I  feel  myself  so  exalted  in  this  heart  ador- 
ing me  without  hope  or  aim  !  Does  he  not  know 
that  we  are  utterly  separated?  Do  not  believe 
that  I  have  encouraged  him,  Martha.  His  heart 
is  deep  and  transparent  as  a  beautiful  lake  which 
reflects  the  sky.  All  there  is  noble  and  sublime 
in  its  pleasures  and  its  sorrows.  Bereft  of  all 
hope,  he  loves  me,  and  never  dares  even  to  pro- 
nounce my  name.  Resolved  to  give  up  all  my 
dreams  in  consequence  of  the  marriage  required 
by  my  father,  I  have  only  given  the  poor  poet  a 
token  of  my  sympathy  for  the  horrible  suffering 
of  which  I  have  been  the  involuntary  cause.  His 
respect  so  exalted  me  in  my  own  eyes  that  I  felt 
reassured,  and  rather  proud  to  console  him.  Do 
not  alarm  yourself,  then,  like  my  unfortunate 
Bell,  who,  ignorant  of  my  secret,  torments  me 
with  a  thousand  questions  about  a  change  in  me 
that  she  observes.  I  shall  be  married  in  a  few 
days  ;  I  will  obey  my  destiny.  What  more  can 
they  require  ?  Must  I  give  up  my  life  also  ?  Am 
I  not  dazzled  by  the  splendor  of  an  unequaled 
future  ?  What  is  wanting  in  my  fate  ?  A  very 
little  thing,  truly — only  the  happiness  of  loving, 
the  union  of  two  souls  which  makes  marriage  an 
enchantment.  What  is  all  this  I  dream  of  ?  I 
have  a  lover  who  adores  me,  and,  whether  with 


THE  RETURN   OF  THE  PRINCESS.  119 

him  or  with  another,  I  shall  learn  to  have  a  mas- 
ter.    That  is  all. 

No,  Martha,  I  can  not  pretend  any  more  !  I 
have  lied  to  you  :  I  feigned  a  stupid  resignation  ; 
I  am  afraid — I  am  afraid.  Possessed,  in  spite  of 
myself,  by  a  delirium  stronger  than  my  reason,  I 
lose  my  senses.  The  bare  thought  of  being  the 
wife  of  Mohammed  terrifies  me.  Is  there  not 
some  hour  in  our  lives  when  the  heart  awakens, 
and,  bursting  all  the  trammels  that  our  poor  wis- 
dom has  invented  to  subjugate  it,  it  speaks  as  a 
master,  annulling  the  past,  stifling  everything, 
even  the  recollection  of  pledges  made  ?  Martha, 
I  love  Hassan  !  Do  you  understand  ?  I  should 
love  to  give  him  my  life — my  soul,  and  all  that  is 
mine  !  I  have  loved  him  from  the  first  day,  to 
that  second  supreme  one  when  we  met.  I  will 
love  him  until  I  die,  and  I  shall  be  the  wife  of 
another  !  What  is  to  become  of  me  in  that  irrev- 
ocable future  to  which  I  thoughtlessly  abandoned 
myself  ?  I  am  lost !  lost  beyond  recall  —  lost, 
without  its  being  possible  even  for  me  to  attempt 
to  defend  myself.  I  can  not  be  the  wife  of  Mo- 
hammed ;  I  should  die  !  It  would  be  cowardly 
infamy.  It  would  be  a  frightful  torture  to  which 
they  have  no  right  to  condemn  me. 

But  what  shall  I  do  ?  Everything  is  decided 
upon  ;  all  is  nearly  accomplished.  For  three  days 
I  have  thought  of  throwing  myself  at  my  father's 


120  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

feet,  and  imploring  him  to  break  off  the  mar- 
riage ;  but  what  pretext  could  I  give  ?  To  own 
the  truth,  would  be  to  betray  Hassan — to  loosen 
against  him  new  and  powerful  hatreds.  You  see, 
I  am  utterly  lost — only  a  miracle  can  save  me  ! 


XX. 

A  MIRACLE  that  I  never  dared  to  conceive. 
My  God  !  I  fear  that  I  shall  go  mad.  But  no,  I 
will  tell  you  all  calmly,  so  as  to  prove  to  myself 
that  I  do  not  dream. 

Three  days  passed,  during  which  my  father 
only  spent  a  moment  with  me,  declaring  that 
grave  public  affairs  engrossed  his  time.  I  saw 
that  he  was  serious  and  preoccupied,  but  in  the 
midst  of  my  own  torments  I  had  accepted,  with- 
out trying  to  fathom,  the  excuse  he  thought  fit  to 
make.  This  morning  he  entered,  his  countenance 
so  disturbed  under  the  calm  he  assumed  that  I 
went  to  meet  him  with  uneasiness.  He  kissed 
me  with  a  sort  of  nervous  effusion,  and,  drawing 
me  to  the  divan,  sat  down  near  me  ;  there,  buried 
in  a  strange  silence,  he  drew  a  cigarette  from  a 
golden  case,  and  began  to  roll  it  between  his  fin- 
gers, forgetting  to  light  it.  In  spite  of  my  own 
weakness  and  fever,  I  understood  that  something 
extraordinary  had  occurred,  and  that  the  embar- 
rassed manner  of  my  father  was  but  the  prelude 


THE  KETURN    OF  THE  PRINCESS.  121 

to  bad  news.  I  was  making  up  my  mind  to  ques- 
tion him,  when  suddenly  raising  his  head  and 
throwing  away  his  cigarette — 

"  My  poor  child,"  he  said,  "  I  come  to  entreat 
you  to  be  brave." 

At  this  opening  I  thought  of  some  misfortune 
to  Ali. 

"  I  am  brave,  father,"  I  answered. 

He  looked  at  me  some  seconds  ;  then,  in  a  sad 
tone — 

"  We  are  threatened  with  a  great  annoyance, 
Miriam,  and  you  are  the  one  who  will  feel  it  most 
deeply.  Yet  it  is  one  of  those  necessities  to  which 
we  are  compelled  to  submit.  Your  marriage  with 
Mohammed  is  a  happiness  to  us  all,  but  an  un- 
foreseen circumstance  will  delay  it." 

My  father,  deceived  by  my  emotion,  and  with 
numberless  precautions,  introduced  the  subject  of 
his  anxieties  of  the  last  few  days,  which  are  no- 
thing less  than  the  fear  of  a  political  change 
which  would  drag  us  all  down  in  a  common  dis- 
grace. 

"  Nothing  is  yet  lost,"  he  said  warmly.  "  Mo- 
hammed is  a  man  to  struggle  to  the  end.  Even 
if  he  falls,  he  will  rise  again.  Only,  I  repeat,  it  is 
all  very  serious." 

A  wild  hope  rose  in  my  mind.  I  questioned 
him,  and  learned  that  very  serious  embarrass- 
ments, caused  by  the  party  hostile  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Khedive,  had  led  to  complications 


122  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

which  necessitated  the  sending  of  a  safe  agent  to. 
London  and  Paris.  The  Khedive  had  designated 
Mohammed  for  this  mission,  which  will  keep  him 
absent  two  or  three  months. 

Two  months,  Martha !  It  is  safety  ;  it  is 
hope  !  I  could  scarcely  conceal  my  delight.  My 
father  saw,  though,  that  this  delay  which  he 
feared  to  inform  me  of  was  received  without 
much  regret ;  but  he  laid  it  to  the  score  of  my 
good  sense,  and  thanked  me  for  relieving  his  anx- 
iety by  showing  myself  so  brave.  He  then  frank- 
ly confided  his  personal  fears  to  me  ;  for,  though 
my  marriage  would  not  be  prevented,  the  fall  of 
Mohammed  would  be  very  disastrous  to  us  all. 
An  idea  occurred  to  me. 

"Then,  father,"  I  said  smiling,  "it  will  be 
time  for  us  to  believe  in  the  folly  of  Farideh  and 
attach  ourselves  to  '  Young  Egypt.'  " 

"  Farideh  is  a  fool  ! " 

"  Not  such  a  fool  after  all,  since  she  turns  to- 
ward the  sun.  Why  can  not  we,  also,  incline 
ourselves  to  the  star  which  rises  ?  " 

"  Child,"  he  answered,  more  seriously,  "  you 
know  nothing  of  these  questions  and  divisions. 
If  the  old  party  falls,  it  drags  us  down  with  it. 
The  new  party  will  only  be  our  enemy." 

"  Oh,  well !  "  I  replied  lightly,  "  I  will  be  the 
link  to  unite  you." 

He  looked  at  me  in  surprise,  and  could  not 
help  smiling. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  123 

"Do  you  know  that  you  are  a  great  diploma- 
tist ?  "  he  said. 

Immediately  after  he  left,  I  sent  this  note  to 
my  poor  Hassan  : 

"  Let  us  hope  1     I  love  you  !  " 


XXI. 

THEEE  are  some  extreme  resolutions  which 
one  can  not  retract,  and  which  settle  the  fate  of  a 
lifetime.  The  die  is  cast,  my  dear  Martha,  and 
by  this  avowal  of  my  love  I  arm  myself  against 
any  cowardly  weakness.  Let  what  may  happen 
now,  I  can  never  be  the  wife  of  Mohammed. 
Whether  he  rises  or  falls,  I  have  dug  a  ditch  be- 
tween us.  I  have  sacrificed  a  future  and  a  for- 
tune. I  would,  if  needful,  brave  my  father's  com- 
mands, for  I  no  longer  belong  to  myself.  How 
can  I  describe  to  you  the  wild  intoxication  of 
Hassan's  letter,  answering  this  cry  of  my  soul 
that  could  be  repressed  no  longer,  and  the  en- 
chanted amazement  of  that  poor  heart  scarcely 
daring  to  contemplate  the  happiness  which  made 
him  dizzy  ? 

If  you  could  have  seen  him  the  next  morning 
when  I  passed,  accompanied  by  Saida,  the  road 
blessed  by  our  furtive  meetings,  where  so  many 
sweet  emotions  agitated  me  against  my  will ! 
What  delicious  and  agitating  memories,  of  which 


124  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

I  taste  all  the  joys  without  regret,  confident  now 
in  regard  to  the  future  !  As  the  carriage  bore  us 
on  toward  the  desert,  I  dropped  a  spray  of  our 
flower  at  his  feet.  When  we  returned  he  was 
still  there,  and  I  saw  him  raise  the  jasmine  to  his 
lips.  I  felt  as  though  I  had  received  a  kiss. 

My  dear,  these  heroes  with  grand  souls  have 
the  charming  timidity  of  a  child  when  a  woman's 
eye  rests  upon  them.  He  does  not  even  under- 
stand that,  in  confessing  she  loves  him,  the  Prin- 
cess Gulnare  has  resolved  to  be  his  wife,  and  free 
herself  for  his  sake.  As  in  the  legend  of  the 
poor  Hafiz,  who  dies  of  his  love  with  a  smile  up- 
on his  lips  and  looking  at  the  sky,  he  does  not 
seem  to  foresee  a  hope  of  other  happiness  than 
that  of  seeing  me  afar  off,  and  knowing  that  I 
love  him.  If  you  could  read  his  adorable  letters, 
where  through  an  extreme  delicacy,  as  though  he 
did  not  wish  to  recall  a  bond  I  broke  to  be  his, 
he  never  gives  me  any  name  but  Gulnare,  which 
touchingly  recalls  all  that  separates  us.  "  From 
this  hour,"  he  wrote,  "  my  life  is  yours  ;  I  await 
your  disposition  of  it."  By  a  charming  sympathy 
I  never  address  him  but  as  Hafiz,  in  this  history 
of  love  that  we  are  continuing.  What  joy,  what 
transport  I  shall  feel  when,  free  from  this  horrible 
engagement,  I  shall  go  to  him  with  my  offered 
hand  ! 

Certainly  all  this  is  madness.  I  comprehend, 
without  your  reproaches,  that  I  have  risked  the 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  125 

peace  of  my  future  life  in  this  love,  unknown  to 
every  one,  and  which  binds  me  for  ever.  What 
matters  that  ?  Hassan  loves  me.  I  will  live,  if 
needful,  sharing  his  miseries,  his  dangers,  and  his 
struggles.  Who  can  tell,  then,  if  by  some  change 
of  fortune  or  of  parties  I  may  not  become  a 
guarantee  of  safety  for  my  family  ?  My  father 
is  too  subtile  a  politician  for  us  to  despair  of 
shaking  his  will  on  the  day  when,  his  allies  van- 
quished, our  ruin  is  assured.  You  are  amazed? 
Well,  yes  ;  it  is  true — I  conspire. 

The  departure  of  Mohammed,  as  you  may 
imagine,  has  caused  a  certain  confusion  in  the 
harem.  First,  all  the  wedding  preparations  are 
put  a  stop  to,  and  it  is  a- pity  to  see  the  despair 
of  Sa'ida,  who  had  made  a  fete  of  gifts  of  tur- 
quoise solitaires.  The  grand  lady  herself  emerges 
from  her  idle  apathy  to  keep  herself  au  courant 
to  outside  affairs.  My  father's  look  of  anxiety 
proves  his  uneasiness.  Ali  comes  every  day  to 
Chimilah,  and  makes  no  secret  of  his  fears. 
Still  devoted  to  me,  my  sister  Hosnah  is  loud  in 
her  lamentations,  which  my  calm  manner  of  tak- 
ing things  often  renders  very  bitter.  She  has 
several  times  sharply  reproved  me  for  this  indif- 
ference. "In  truth,  my  dear  Miriam,  any  one 
would  suppose  that  you  were  ignorant  of  our  an- 
noyances, yet  they  affect  your  lover,  your  hus- 
band—" 

In  fact,  notwithstanding  all  my  attempts  to 


126  THE   RETURN   OF  THE   PRINCESS. 

bend  to  a  dissimulation  which  I  know  is  an  im- 
perative necessity,  I  feel  that  my  countenance, 
my  voice,  my  entire  being,  betray  the  secret  of 
my  heart.  Is  not  this  trouble  of  my  people  a 
hope  to  me  ? 

With  her  native  penetration,  Hosnah,  though, 
seems  to  suspect  that  something  unlocked  for  is 
happening.  From  her  repeated  questions  about 
Adilah,  I  understand  that  she  suspects  the  visits 
I  secretly  make,  and  that  she  wishes  to  surprise 
me.  The  other  day  when  I  accompanied  SaSda 
to  the  bazaar,  a  very  strange  thing  happened. 
As  we  got  out  of  the  carriage  to  enter  the  shop, 
my  little  step-mother  called  my  attention  to  a 
negro  in  the  street,  who  was  carelessly  smoking. 
We  went  away  again  before  he  moved. 

"  I  think  he  is  one  of  Hosnah's  eunuchs,"  she 
said. 

Soon  the  same  man  appeared  not  far  from  us. 
After  all,  Sa'ida  was  not  very  certain  that  she 
recognized  him,  and  it  might  be  by  accident  that 
in  the  windings  of  the  bazaar  this  lounger  should 
meet  us  again.  We  returned  to  Chimilah  without 
giving  this  incident  any  further  thought ;  yet  I 
spoke  of  it  to  AH,  who  advised  me  not  to  go  near 
poor  Adilah  for  several  days.  But  of  what  con- 
sequence to  me  are  these  suspicions  of  my  sister? 
Nearly  every  morning  a  letter  from  my  poet 
brings  me  happiness  and  life.  How  sweet  is  this 
name  of  Gulnare  to  me  !  My  dear,  he  had  seen 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  127 

me  ;  he  knew  me  before  this  encounter  on  the 
bank  of  the  Nile — the  traitor  !  A  little  opening 
among  the  leaves  at  the  window  had  betrayed 
my  espionage,  which  he  observed  from  a  retreat. 
Hence  the  explanation  of  the  mystery,  and  of  his 
audacity  in  throwing  the  spray  of  jasmine  into  my 
carriage.  He  had  recognized  me,  and  "avenged 
himself,"  as  Adilah  said.  Judge  how  I  scolded 
him  for  his  perfidy.  Not  much,  though  —  the 
window  is  walled  up. 

To  strengthen  my  confidence  still  more,  I  have 
had  another  conversation  with  my  father,  in  which 
I  won  a  second  victory. 

"How  comes  on  your  business?"  I  inquired 
with  an  interest  which  was  assumed. 

"  The  accounts  are  bad,"  he  replied  with  the 
unreserve  he  exhibits  to  me  alone.  "  They  have 
given  Mohammed  a  very  difficult  negotiation, 
and,  whatever  be  his  talents,  I  doubt  if  he  will  be 
successful.  His  absence  leaves  the  field  open  to 
influences  which  his  presence  destroyed."  He 
continued  in  this  confidential  strain,  showing  how 
discouraged  he  felt,  and  trembling  for  the  hopes 
so  long  encouraged.  In  this  country  of  intrigues 
"  les  absens  ont  toujours  tort."  On  every  side 
they  circumvent  the  Khedive,  who  is  already  too 
much  inclined  to  lend  his  ear  to  calumnies. 

I  listened  trembling  with  joy.  Without  my  fa- 
ther's telling  me,  it  was  very  evident  that  this  mar- 
riage, wished  for  above  all  in  view  of  our  fortune, 


128  THE   RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

would  never  take  place  in  case  of  Mohammed's 
being  checkmated,  for  he  would  share  the  general 
disgrace. 

With  all  the  tact  I  possessed,  feigning  to  sac- 
rifice everything  to  the  family  interests,  I  took 
very  seriously  this  question,  scarcely  broached  a 
day — though,  in  truth,  enchanted. 

"  Happily,"  I  insinuated  gently,  "  this  forced 
delay,  which  has  suspended  all  our  plans,  can  be 
of  service  to  us.  Mohammed  himself  will  learn 
that  he  can  not  drag  you  down  in  his  fall.  Loy- 
alty makes  it  only  his  duty  to  release  you  from  a 
promise  that  affairs  now  would  make  it  dangerous 
for  you  to  keep.  Can  you  doubt  his  generosity, 
of  which  you  have  have  boasted  so  many  times  ?  " 

Then,  with  infinite  precaution,  I  ventured  to 
hint  at  a  rupture.  My  father  did  not  stop  me. 
Is  not  allowing  such  an  event  to  be  discussed 
equivalent  to  admitting  its  possibility  ? 

I  have  seen  my  dear  Hafiz  again,  and  I  have 
spoken  to  him. 

Do  not  scold  for  a  poor  little  adventure,  for 
which  chance  alone  is  guilty. 

I  went  out  with  Nazly  and  Mansour,  and  as 
the  end  of  our  drive  I  decided  to  take  the  child 
to  his  mother's  house.  In  her  gratitude  the  guay- 
ari  wished  to  tell  my  fortune  this  time.  She  on- 
treated  me  to  give  her  my  hand.  Has  she  seen 
or  divined  anything  ?  Her  devotion  to  me  gives 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  129 

in  her  eyes  an  azure  tint  to  the  skies  of  my  future. 
When  she  had  arranged  her  shells,  scattered  her 
sand,  and  read  in  her  old  parchment  books,  she 
looked  at  me  with  delight. 

"  You  love — you  are  loved,"  she  said,  "  and 
long  days  of  happiness  are  in  store  for  you  !  " 

In  spite  of  my  incredulity,  these  words  made 
my  heart  beat.  Nazly  having  in  her  turn  drawn 
her  into  a  serious  consultation,  I  left  them,  taking 
Mansour,  who  led  me  toward  the  deserted  huts 
shaded  by  great  sycamores. 

I  soon  found  myself  in  a  little  grove  of  palm- 
trees.  An  opal  tint  of  infinite  shades  crowned 
the  lofty  summit  of  the  trees,  and  threw  golden 
spots  upon  the  white  sand.  I  went  on  in  this 
light  which  seems,  just  before  expiring,  to  repeat 
the  splendor  of  dawn.  I  reached  thus,  without 
noticing  it,  a  cluster  of  huts  which  seemed  to 
belong  to  some  farm.  In  this  corner  of  the  oasis 
a  profound  silence  reigned  :  the  workers  had  not 
yet  returned  from  the  fields  ;  the  village  was  empty. 
I  seated  myself  upon  a  mound,  my  back  resting 
against  a  banana-tree,  the  child  playing  at  my  feet. 

There  are  hours  and  places  and  lights  which 
subdue  us,  and  which  mingle  with  our  most  inti- 
mate sensations.  I  repeated  the  words  of  Salome. 
Loved !  Yes,  I  was.  I  also  love  with  all  my 
soul  and  all  my  strength.  I  believed  in  the  beau- 
tiful future  promised  by  this  fellahine,  under  this 
sky  so  sweet,  this  peace  which  seemed  made  for 
9 


130  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

me  to  listen  to  my  own  heart.  I  had  almost  for- 
gotten where  I  was.  Twilight,  so  rapid  in  Egypt, 
announced  itself  by  darker  touches  ;  the  tone  ac- 
centuated itself  passing  from  mauve  to  sapphire, 
the  red  becoming  crimson.  Suddenly  a  man  came 
from  one  of  the  huts  :  it  was  Hassan.  It  was 
impossible  that  he  should  not  see  me  just  before 
him,  and  only  a  few  steps  off.  At  the  sight  of  a 
hanum  he  raised  his  eyes.  He  was  astonished  at 
first,  but,  on  seeing  the  child,  his  pale  face  became 
crimson.  Doubtful  about  recognizing  me  under 
my  veil,  he  was  continuing  his  walk.  I  said  a 
word  to  Mansour  and  pointed  to  him  ;  and  the 
child  sprang  to  him  with  a  cry  of  joy. 

We  were  alone,  as  if  lost  in  this  adorable  soli- 
tude. 

He  approached. 

"  How  do  you  happen  to  be  here  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  have  some  fields  below,"  he  replied  ;  "  these 
huts  are  those  of  my  fellahs.  I  came  to  visit  one 
of  the  unhapyy  ones  who  had  his  leg  broken  yes- 
terday." 

Standing  near  me,  he  looked  at  me  in  surprise, 
not  daring  to  question  me.  I  wished  to  show 
myself  the  bravest. 

"  Why  do  you  not  speak  of  ourselves  ? "  I 
faltered. 

Touched,  he  was  about  to  answer  me.  At  this 
moment  the  guttural  music  of  an  Arab  chant 
warned  us  that  people  were  approaching. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  131 

"These  are  my  fellahs  returning,"  he  said. 

I  furtively  held  out  my  hand ;  he  placed  his 
lips  upon  it  and  retreated.  That  was  all. 

I  could  see  him  surrounded  by  his  men  and 
women,  who  prostrated  themselves  nearly  at  his 
feet  with  the  signs  of  humility  habitual  to  the 
unfortunate  serfs. 

Nazly  scolded  me  when  I  reappeared.  She 
was  rather  uneasy,  for  this  flight,  if  surprised  by 
one  of  the  eunuchs,  would  have  cost  me  a  severe 
lecture  from  my  father.  I  softened  her  by  a  ca- 
ress ;  I  felt  so  happy. 

That  same  evening  my  sister  Hosnah,  apropos 
to  what,  I  can  not  remember,  not  finding  me  suf- 
ficiently attentive  to  her  grievances,  gave  me 
some  •  thrusts  which  I  received  with  the  patient 
indifference  the  intoxication  of  the  soul  gives. 
Her  wrath  increased  ;  then,  after  some  reproaches 
to  which  I  listened  unmoved,  she  said  to  me 
abruptly  : 

"  You  see  Adilah,  and  from  her  comes  the  ad- 
vice that  will  ruin  you.  Take  care  !  " 

I  could  not  help  blushing.  Is  this  only  a  guess  ? 
— or  has  instinct  guided  her  ?  She  did  not  utter 
more  then,  as  if  she  feared  having  been  premature. 

I  let  the  time  pass.  During  the  month  that 
Mohammed  has  been  absent,  although  they  try  to 
hide  it  from  me,  I  know  by  Hosnah's  temper  that 
affairs  are  going  on  badly  in  London. 


132  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


XXII. 

A  TEEEIBLE  blow  !  Mohammed  has  returned  ! 
He  had  succeeded  in  his  mission  ;  and,  warned  of 
what  is  plotted  against  him,  he  suddenly  returned 
to  Cairo. 

His  arrival  will  reestablish  his  influence. 
Struck  with  consternation,  I  could  not  utter  a 
word,  and  could  scarcely  restrain  my  tears.  My 
father  joyously  announced  that  he  would  visit  me 
to-morrow. 

When  left  alone,  I  collected  my  ideas  :  there 
was  no  longer  time  for  cowardly  procrastination. 
The  hope  I  had  built  upon  the  fall  of  Mohammed, 
to  bring  about  a  rupture  that  the  interests  of  my 
family  would  justify,  was  extinguished  at  once, 
leaving  me  face  to  face  with  the  implacable  real- 
ity. I  could  hesitate  no  longer  ;  I  must  acknowl- 
edge all  to  my  father,  and  declare  my  resolution 
of  refusing  the  marriage  I  had  agreed  on.  I 
thought  a  long  time,  seeking  an  exit  from  this 
frightful  gulf  which  I  wished  to  leave,  living  or 
dead,  but  worthy  of  myself,  and  of  Hassan,  whom 
I  loved.  I  nerved  myself  with  courage,  and,  sup- 
ported by  my  love,  felt  very  firm  and  decided. 
Yet  reflection  came  to  me  to  make  me  act  pru- 
dently. Would  it  not  be  the  ruin  of  my  poor 
exile  to  mention  him  to  my  father  ?  Had  I  the 
right,  in  this  struggle  upon  which  our  two  lives 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  133 

depended,  not  to  make  an  appeal  for  his  aid,  his 
advice — his  wishes  ?  I  would  confide  all  to  him, 
crying,  "  Save  me — save  us  !  "  Whatever  he  di- 
rected I  would  do  without  fear,  without  hesita- 
tion, without  weakness. 

But  the  peril  was  pressing.  Before  the  odious 
interview  of  to-morrow,  all  must  be  ended.  How 
should  I  write  and  consult  with  Hassan  ?  Hiding 
outside  of  Cairo,  would  he  receive  my  message 
in  time?  Could  he  answer  me  in  the  fleeting 
moments  that  remained  ? 

My  plan  was  soon  decided.  At  the  hour  when 
I  met  him  daily  on  the  road,  I  would  let  a  little 
note  fall  at  his  feet,  in  which  I  would  arrange  a 
meeting  for  the  same  evening  in  Zourah's  garden. 

When  evening  came  I  went,  accompanied  by 
Nazly,  as  if  for  my  usual  drive  to  Choubrah. 
After  the  warm  day,  the  cool  shade  had  attracted 
numerous  equipages.  I  was  in  advance  of  the 
hour.  I  wished  to  be  seen  there,  and,  above  all, 
not  to  excite  the  suspicion  of  the  eunuchs.  When 
I  had  made  several  turns,  seemingly  weary  of  the 
crowd  and  noise,  I  gave  the  order  to  follow  the 
bank  of  the  Nile.  I  sought  this  solitude  too 
often  for  them  to  suspect  anything  in  this  desire. 
The  house  of  Zourah  being  near  the  road,  none  of 
my  people  could  be  surprised  if  we  took  a  fancy 
to  stop  there  for  a  few  moments  on  our  return. 

We  were  soon  beyond  the  town.  Breathless, 
oppressed,  but  very  resolute,  I  thought  that  night 


134  THE  RETUKN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

a  new  era  of  my  life  would  begin.  I  would  yield 
myself  up  to  this  love  which  possessed  me.  I 
was  going  to  the  husband  whom  I  had  sworn  to 
take  for  guide  and  master,  and  to  confide  to  his 
hands  the  defense  of  our  mutual  happiness. 
Trembling  at  the  idea  of  seeing  him  again  after 
our  exchange  of  the  vows  which  linked  our  two 
souls,  I  felt  a  nameless  proud  joy  at  this  first  act 
of  submission  to  so  haughty  a  will — to  this  poor, 
grand  heart,  until  now  so  humble  and  timid  in 
his  patient  and  resigned  adoration.  On  this 
grand  appeal  our  destiny  depended.  What  he 
decided  on  should  be  done.  In  spite  of  my  fa- 
ther, I  should  obey  him. 

The  hour  came  at  length  when  we  retook  the 
road  to  return  to  Chimilah  ;  then,  when  we  reached 
Zourah's  house,  I  ordered  the  carriage  to  stop, 
and  got  out  with  Nazly.  The  night  was  clear, 
and  we  were  only  a  few  steps  from  the  mansion, 
when  I  seemed  to  see  a  man  who  was  walking  on 
the  road  suddenly  hide  himself  in  a  bush.  My 
heart  beat  wildly.  In  a  flash  I  recalled  the  day 
when  Safda  had  recognized,  several  times  follow- 
ing us,  a  slave  of  Hosnah's. 

Assailed  by  a  horrible  presentiment,  and  throw- 
ing around  me  a  glance  of  terror,  I  perceived  not 
far  behind  us,  on  the  same  road  we  had  come 
over,  a  coach  which  had  stopped  like  ours,  and 
was  waiting. 

What  if,  having  seen  me  at  Choubrah,  Hos- 


THE  RETURN   OF  THE   PRINCESS.  135 

nah  had  followed  me  ?  A  prey  to  terror,  my  first 
thought  was  to  fly,  but  Nazly  was  already  at  the 
door  with  Zourah,  and  I  knew  Hassan  was  there. 
They  doubtless  wished  to  surprise  us.  The  piti- 
less executions  of  the  harem  recurred  to  my  mind. 
They  would  perhaps  kill  him.  Yet  to  give  a  hint, 
to  hesitate  a  moment,  would  hopelessly  ruin  us. 
I  entered,  and  the  door  closed  behind  me. 

"  He  is  here,  is  he  not  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes  !  In  the  garden,  hanum"  answered 
Zourah. 

I  dashed  out.  My  poor  beloved,  seeing  me 
appear  in  the  lighted  entrance,  ran  to  meet  me. 
Wild,  distracted,  and  dragging  him  toward  the 
hedge  which  served  as  an  inclosure — 

"  Fly  !  fly  !  "  I  cried.  "  I  have  been  followed. 
If  they  find  you  here,  we  are  lost." 

Terrified  at  this  cry  of  anguish,  he  looked  at 
me  with  surprise. 

"Fly,"  he  said,  "when  I  am  here  to  protect 
you?" 

By  the  energetic  expression  which  illumined 
his  countenance,  I  understood  that  the  unhappy 
man  wished  to  resist.  He  made  a  step  toward 
Nazly,  who  came  to  meet  us. 

At  this  moment  we  heard  a  knocking  at  the 
door  which  opened  on  the  street. 

"  Hassan,  I  implore  you,"  I  cried,  "  fly  !  I  de- 
sire it.  I  am  yours — I  love  you.  Save  your  life. 
Save  us  both  !  " 


136  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

We  could  no  longer  doubt.  Zourah  ran  to  us 
in  terror,  asking  whether  she  must  answer.  Has- 
san made  a  terrible,  desperate  gesture. 

"  Return  quickly,  before  they  open  ! "  cried 
Nazly  to  me. 

"  No  !  no  !  they  shall  kill  us  both  here,"  I  re- 
plied. As  I  said  this,  I  could  see  Hassan  turn  pale. 

They  were  again  knocking.  Suddenly  he  seized 
me  in  his  arms,  and  through  my  veil  pressed  a  kiss 
upon  my  brow. 

"My  life  belongs  to  you,"  he  said  eagerly. 
"  Go  !  go  !  I  will  obey  you.  I  will  escape  them." 
And,  tearing  himself  from  my  embrace,  he  darted 
toward  the  end  of  the  inclosure. 

We  returned  to  the  house  in  haste.  As  the 
garden-door  closed  behind  us,  Zourah  opened  the 
street-door.  Hosnah  appeared  on  the  step,  fol- 
lowed by  three  or  four  slaves.  With  a  rough 
gesture  she  threw  back  her  veil,  ran  her  eye  round 
the  room,  and,  terrific  in  her  rage,  rushed  up  to 
Zourah  like  a  fury  and  struck  her  in  the  face. 

The  fellahine  uttered  a  cry  of  pain.  Unde- 
serving of  this  brutal  aggression,  she  asserted  her- 
self. 

" Hanum"  she  said,  "I  am  a  free  woman  and 
not  your  slave  !  You  have  no  right  to  strike  me  !  " 

"  Why  did  you  not  open  the  door  ?  "  demanded 
Hosnah. 

"  We  were  in  the  garden  ;  and,  besides,  this  is 
my  own  house." 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE   PRINCESS.  137 

"  Yes,  and  you  follow  a  pretty  trade  here  ! 
Come,  give  way,  that  we  may  search  the  house." 

During  this  odious  scene,  so  rapid  in  its  bru- 
tality, I  was  trembling  and  frozen,  and  only  kept 
from  fainting  by  an  effort ;  but  at  these  words, 
which  recalled  Hassan's  peril,  I  regained  my  cour- 
age. 

"  Hosnah  !  "  I  cried  boldly,  "  the  order  that  you 
give  is  an  outrage.  I  forbid  you  to  oppress  this 
woman,  whom  I  intend  to  protect  against  you." 

"  Ah  !  you  can  speak,  then,"  she  said  with  bit- 
ter irony ;  "  but  this  is  not  the  place  for  an  ex- 
planation between  us."  Then,  turning  to  her 
eunuchs — 

"  Obey  me.  Search  through  the  garden,  and 
bring  me  whoever  you  find  there  ;  and  kill  him  if 
ho  resists  ! " 

Struck  with  terror  at  the  thought  that  Hassan 
perhaps  was  still  there,  I  threw  myself  before  the 
door. 

"  Your  people  shall  not  pass  !  "  I  cried. 

They  hesitated.  With  a  sign  Hosnah  repeated 
her  order.  These  brutes  seized  me  and  pushed  me 
aside.  It  was  a  moment  of  terrible  anguish  ;  but 
they  soon  went  over  the  garden,  and  returned 
without  finding  any  one. 

I  breathed  freely.  Hosnah  was  wild  with 
rage.  "  This  act  of  violence  is  infamous,"  I  said 
then,  certain  that  we  were  saved,  "and  you  shall 
account  to  my  father  for  it  !  " 


138  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Her  distracted  glance  wandered  round  the 
room.  She  was  about  to  answer,  when  one  of  her 
people,  who  had  remained  without,  returned  and 
whispered  a  few  words. 

She  made  a  gesture  of  unspeakable  delight. 

"You  saw  him? ''  she  demanded. 

"  Yes  !  He  leaped  over  the  hedge.  Youssouf 
and  Ahmed  are  in  pursuit." 

I  could  not  repress  a  cry.  Hosnah  turned  to 
me : 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  you  hear  it !  Now  you 
will  not  deny  that  a  man  was  there.  It  was  very 
wrong  in  a  sister,  on  the  eve  of  your  marriage,  to 
have  disturbed  so  charming  a  rendezvous  ! " 

I  was  weary  of  lying  and  humiliating  myself, 
and  raised  my  head  haughtily. 

"  Well,  yes  !  "  I  replied,  looking  her  full  in  the 
face,  "  I  love  him.  And  as  for  this  marriage  that 
your  ambition  has  so  adroitly  planned,  it  shall 
never  take  place  ?  " 

She  answered  me  by  an  ironical  burst  of 
laughter. 

"  You  can  tell  all  that  to  our  father,  and  bear 
to  him  your  complaints  at  my  indiscreet  inter- 
vention. In  the  mean  time  I  will  take  it  upon 
myself,"  she  added,  "  to  carry  you  back  to  the 
harem." 

All  resistance  would  have  been  useless,  and  I 
should  have  blushed  to  lower  my  pride  by  re- 
senting this  last  insult.  Throwing  on  her  a 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  139 

glance  of  scorn,  I  passed  out  and  regained  my 
carriage,  where  she  took  a  seat  beside  me,  and 
we  reached  Chimilah  without  exchanging  a  word. 
"  Adieu,"  she  said,  "  until  to-morrow." 
I  entered  my  house  nearly  crazed.  A  fright- 
ful anxiety  was  consuming  me.  Had  Hassan 
escaped  his  pursuers  ?  At  thought  of  the  inter- 
view I  must  have  on  the  morrow  with  my  father, 
I  felt  ready  to  die  with  terror.  What  should  I 
say  to  him?  After  the  declaration  of  my  love, 
so  haughtily  thrown  at  Hosnah,  there  could  be 
no  recoil.  I  must  repeat  this  avowal,  and  con- 
firm my  formal  refusal  to  espouse  Mohammed. 
What  would  happen?  By  degrees,  however,  I 
grew  calmer.  Is  it  not  true  that  hope  lives  even 
in  our  deepest  griefs  ?  Would  it  be  possible  for 
my  father  to  condemn  me  to  misery  without  feel- 
ing an  impulse  of  pity  ?  I  would  tell  him  all.  Is 
not  Hassan  worthy,  noble — admired  ?  Poor  and 
disinherited,  is  he  not  still  above  Mohammed  by 
the  superiority  of  his  birth,  his  renown,  and  his 
life  ?  During  the  course  of  these  reflections  I  be- 
gan to  be  astonished  that  I  had  so  long  trembled 
and  hesitated  to  plead  for  our  happiness. 


XXIII. 

MARTHA  !  all  is  ingulfed  around  me  ;  I  am 
lost — separated  from  all  those  I  love  in  this  world. 
I  do  not  even  know  if  this  letter  will  ever  reach 


140  THE  RETURN  OP  THE  PRINCESS. 

you,  to  bear  you  my  last  adieu.  I  have  told  you 
of  that  horrible  night  during  which  I  tried  to 
fasten  on  some  idle  illusion.  In  the  morning  I 
was  called  to  my  father.  I  armed  myself  against 
my  weakness,  and  went  down  to  receive  him  as 
usual.  He  was  leaning  against  a  window,  and 
turned  at  my  entrance.  By  his  attitude,  and  a 
certain  hardness  of  expression  which  I  had  never 
seen  in  him,  I  at  once  comprehended  that  Hosnah 
had  spoken  ;  that  he  knew  all,  and  had  already 
prejudged  me.  Despite  the  hopes  I  had  indulged 
in  the  evening,  my  heart  seemed  turned  to  stone. 
Without  saying  a  word,  without  even  giving  me 
his  hand  to  kiss  as  he  was  accustomed,  he  took  a 
seat,  leaving  me  standing  ;  thus  using  for  the  first 
time,  in  regard  to  me,  the  right  of  a  master  who 
makes  a  woman  stand  in  his  presence.  Express- 
ing himself  in  Arabic,  so  as  to  be  certain  of  his 
meaning — 

"  Hosnah  has  told  me  incredible  things  about 
you,"  he  said,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  mine  ;  "  she 
pretends  that  yesterday,  at  the  house  of  a  woman 
— the  sister  of  Nazly — she  surprised  you  with  a 
man  who  was  awaiting  you  there.  Is  this  true  ?  " 

I  called  all  my  courage  to  my  aid,  and,  with- 
out turning  away  my  eyes — 

"I  will  not  lie  to  you,  father,"  I  answered  ; 
"Hosnah  told  the  truth." 

"  Then  you  do  not  deny  it.  This  house  has 
been  a  place  of  rendezvous  ?  " 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  141 

"  No  I  that  last  word  is  not  true,"  replied  I 
proudly,  "  for  I  have  never  seen  him  but  twice, 
under  my  veil,  in  Nazly's  presence.  Your  daugh- 
ter has  not  forgotten  what  she  owes  herself." 

"  And  why  these  meetings  ?  " 

I  felt  myself  turn  pale,  but  I  was  resolute. 

"  Because  we  love  each  other,"  I  replied. 

At  this  unexpected  avowal  my  father  exhib- 
ited so  much  wrath  and  rose  with  so  terrific  a 
gesture  that,  alarmed,  I  sank  at  his  feet. 

"  Pardon  !  pardon,  father  ! "  I  cried,  "  and  I 
will  tell  you  everything.  I  am  not  guilty,  and  he 
is  worthy  of  us — of  you — I  swear  it !  If  you  only 
could  know  how  I  have  suffered  ;  and  how  I  have 
striven  against  this  love  so  as  to  obey  your  wishes 
— sacred  ta  me  as  the  will  of  God — and  which 
tears  my  heart,  and  will  kill  me — " 

"  Enough,  enough,  unhappy  girl  ! "  he  said. 

He  seized  me  by  the  wrist,  to  force  me  to  rise, 
so  roughly  that,  falling  back  on  the  divan,  I  closed 
my  eyes  and  uttered  a  cry. 

"  All  that  you  shall  tell  me  is  his  name  !  "  he 
replied  in  a  dull,  trembling  voice,  as  if  he  was 
powerless  to  control  himself. 

Frozen  by  the  expression  of  his  countenance,  I 
knew  then  that  we  were  lost.  By  a  miracle,  I 
had  sufficient  presence  of  mind  to  understand  also 
that  the  question  as  to  the  name  of  my  accom- 
plice made  it  evident  that  Hassan  had  escaped, 
and  that  they  knew  nothing  which  could  guide 


142  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

them  in  their  project  of  vengeance.  Satisfied, 
then,  that  the  punishment  would  fall  on  me  alone, 
I  breathed  again,  resolved  to  confront  everything 
rather  than  now  reveal  our  secret,  the  disclosure 
of  which  had  become  so  dangerous. 

"  Well !  the  name — the  name  !  "  repeated  my 
father.  "I  await  it." 

I  rallied  from  a  cowardly  fear  which  for  an 
instant  assailed  me. 

"  Pardon  me,  father,"  I  answered,  "  if  I  dis- 
obey this  order,  but  the  name  you  ask  for  I  can 
not  give  you." 

"  You  dare  still  to  resist  ?  "  he  demanded,  con- 
founded by  such  audacity. 

I  thought  he  was  going  to  crush  me  ;  but 
suddenly,  afraid  perhaps  of  himself,  he  passed 
his  hand  across  his  brow,  and  leaving  me  over- 
whelmed, and  nearly  fainting  on  the  divan,  he 
commenced  pacing  the  room,  and,  going  to  the 
window,  opened  it,  as  if  to  breathe  in  a  little 
calmness.  A  few  moments  of  frightful  silence 
passed. 

"  Come  !  you  are  mad  ! "  he  then  said,  "  and 
I  wish  to  have  pity  for  your  ignorance  of  things, 
and  your  forgetfulness  of  the  power  I  have  over 
you.  You  can  not  imagine,  I  suppose,  that  all 
this  will  end  thus  ;  and  that  such  an  attempt, 
which  dishonors  us  all,  can  remain  unpunished  ? 
You  are  no  longer  in  Paris  :  our  wives  and 
daughters  have  to  respect  other  laws  here,  and 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  143 

when  they  transgress,  thank  heaven  !  we  have 
sure  means  of  punishing  them." 

"  I  am  in  your  power,  father,"  I  said  with 
resignation.  "  If  you  have  no  mercy  on  me,  I 
will  submit  to  your  harshness." 

"  Oh  !  I  have  no  need  of  this  assurance — I 
can  arrange  that,"  replied  he,  so  coldly  that  this 
time  I  felt  crushed.  "  But  you  must  know  that 
now  I  have  something  of  more  importance  to 
attend  to  than  your  regrets.  This  has  been  an 
infamous  attempt,  which  I  do  not  wish  spread 
abroad.  Do  not  force  me,  then,  to  measures  be- 
fore which  I  swear  I  will  not  recoil,  to  discover 
the  wretch  who  is  your  accomplice.  If  through 
you  I  can  not  learn  his  name,  Nazly  remains  to 
me  ;  I  can  make  her  speak." 

A  shiver  of  terror  ran  through  my  frame  at 
the  idea  of  the  torture  threatened  my  poor 
Nazly. 

"  No  !  no  !  "  I  cried,  "  she  is  not  guilty.  She 
is  not  guilty,  she  does  not  know  him  !  I  alone 
have  dragged  her  into  this  fault.  I  deceived  her  : 
she  did  not  know  that  I  expected  any  one." 

"  Then  save  her  from  having  to  answer,  and 
put  a  stop  to  this.  Who  is  he  ?  How  did  you 
become  acquainted  ?  Perhaps  he  is  a  foreigner, 
doubtless  come  from  Paris  to  rejoin  you." 

My  distress  inspired  me  with  the  idea  of  a  lie, 
so  as  to  mislead  research,  and  turn  the  danger 
aside  from  Hassan. 


144  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

"  Yes  !  "  I  whispered,  as  if  constrained  to  the 
avowal.  "It  is  a  foreigner  who  has  followed  me 
from  Paris." 

I  gave  a  name  recklessly,  and  my  father  left 
me — I  knew,  to  go  and  interrogate  Bell,  from 
whom  they  have  separated  me.  Happily  she 
knows  nothing. 

For  four  days  I  have  seen  neither  Bell  nor  my 
father.  Isolated  from  every  one,  I  am  guarded 
as  in  a  prison.  My  people,  suspected  of  com- 
plicity, no  doubt,  are  no  more  admitted  to  me, 
and  two  old  slaves  of  Zeinab  are  alone  permitted 
to  wait  on  me.  Nothing  from  outside  can  reach 
me.  What  is  going  on  ?  Martha  !  this  anguish 
is  overwhelming  !  Yesterday  I  tried  to  go  to  the 
great  harem,  hoping  that  there,  perhaps,  I  might 
learn  my  fate.  One  of  the  slaves  informed  me 
that  I  am  forbidden  to  leave  my  apartment,  and 
I  feel  that  some  great  misfortune  hangs  over  me. 
Where  is  ISTazly,  that  poor,  dear,  devoted  friend  ? 
Have  they  tortured  her  to  make  her  confess  ;  or 
have  I  succeeded  in  leading  them  astray  ?  Even 
Saida  has  deserted  me.  I  saw  her  for  a  moment 
in  the  garden  as  I  was  looking  through  the  win- 
dow. She  raised  her  eyes  to  my  veranda,  but, 
seeing  me,  quickly  turned  away  as  if  she  was 
obeying  an  order.  In  this  complete  abandon- 
ment there  is  something  sinister,  which  over- 
whelms and  terrifies  me.  It  seems  as  if  my  life 
is  ended  ;  that  this  imprisonment  is  to  be  per- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  145 

petual ;  and  that  I  shall  never  more  leave  these 
walls  ! 

This  morning  my  father  returned.  On  seeing 
him  enter  so  calmly,  with  his  cigarette  between 
his  lips  as  in  the  days  when  so  lively  an  affection 
existed  between  us,  my  first  impulse  was  to  throw 
myself  at  his  feet,  and  implore  pardon  for  a  fault 
which  had  given  him  pain  ;  but,  noting  his  frigid 
mien,  I  immediately  knew  that  this  time  he  came 
as  a  master,  to  dictate  his  will  to  me. 

"  I  come  to  tell  you  what  I  have  decided,"  he 
said,  "  and  in  what  manner  I  intend  to  regulate 
the  last  days  that  you  are  to  be  with  us  before 
your  marriage." 

"  My  marriage  !  "  I  cried,  casting  away  a  wild 
hope  that  he  had  come  to  pardon  me. 

"Beyond  a  doubt,"  he  replied.  "Are  you 
not  engaged  ?  " 

"Father,  in  pity,"  I  replied,  breathlessly  in- 
terrogating his  eyes,  "can  it  be  true  that  you 
bring  me  hope  ?  Of  whom  do  you  speak  ?  " 

"  How — of  whom  ?  Is  it  possible  you  have 
forgotten  that  you  are  engaged  to  Mohammed  ?  " 

At  this  name  I  felt  faint.  I  had  at  least  be- 
lieved myself  clear  of  this  threat.  My  father, 
seeing  my  incredible  surprise,  dispersed  my  de- 
lirium at  a  single  blow. 

"Decidedly  you  have  lost  your  senses,"  he 
continued  in  a  frigid  tone,  "and  I  see  that  I 
shall  have  to  put  an  end  to  romantic  ideas  which, 
10 


146  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

in  this  country,  have  no  place.  If  you  have 
counted  on  any  happy  consequences  of  your  adven- 
tures, you  have  deluded  yourself,  my  dear.  We 
know  here  how  to  keep  our  women  sheltered  form 
gallants.  In  view,  then,  of  our  want  of  success 
in  discovering  your  lover — I  deem  you  told  me 
the  truth  about  his  name,  and  that  he  has  consid- 
ered it  prudent  to  protect  himself  from  the  conse- 
quences of  remaining  here — put  aside  this  child- 
ishness, so  that  we  shall  be  occupied  only  with 
the  marriage  I  have  resolved  on  for  you." 

"  But  this  marriage  has  become  impossible, 
father,"  I  said  in  consternation. 

"Why  so?  Has  not  Mohammed  my  word 
and  yours  ?  " 

"  But  this  is  deception  !  "  I  cried.  "  After  the 
confession  that  I  have  made  you,  could  I,  without 
being  disloyal,  consent  still  to  be  Mohammed's 
wife?" 

"Ah  !  these  are  your  European  ideas,  my 
dear,"  he  replied  coldly.  "  Under  our  laws  the 
husband  is  master,  and  these  questions  of  senti- 
mentality are  of  small  import.  Obedience  is  suf- 
ficient ;  do  not  vex  your  mind  with  anything 
else." 

"But  this  condition  you  speak  of,  father,  is 
that  of  a  slave,"  I  answered,  terrified  at  this  lan- 
guage. "  Is  it  my  fault  that  you  have  educated 
me  far  away  from  you,  and  that  the  ideas  you 
reproach  me  with  are  different  from  yours  ?  Am 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  147 

I  guilty  in  having  a  heart,  a  soul,  a  conscience, 
which  revolt  at  the  thought  of  a  lie,  and  of  dis- 
loyalty ?  You  well  know  that  I  do  not  love  him  ; 
that  I  can  not  love  him  longer  ;  and  that  this 
marriage  would  be  a  torture  all  iny  life.  Father, 
you  can  not  inflict  this  misery  on  me,  it  would  be 
too  frightful !  I  implore  you  to  take  pity  on 
me  ! "  cried  I,  bursting  into  tears. 

My  father  had  listened  unmoved.  I  had  be- 
lieved for  a  moment  that  the  sight  of  my  tears 
would  bend  him,  but  soon  perceived  this  last  hope 
was  vain. 

"  I  had  believed  you  more  reasonable,"  he 
said  ;  "  for  you  know  the  importance  I  attach  to 
this  marriage,  so  necessary  for  your  fortune  and 
ours.  I  depended  on  finding  you  rational,  but 
regret  to  see  you  are  not ;  but  I  am  your  father, 
and,  as  I  have  something  more  serious  at  stake 
than  questions  of  sentiment,  I  shall  still  marry 
you  to  Mohammed.  As  for  these  scruples  of 
heart  and  soul  and  loyalty,  which  torment  you, 
do  not  trouble  yourself.  The  harem  does  not 
know  these  subtilties  of  foreign  invention.  A 
wife  is  a  wife,  and  submission  is  all  we  desire. 
Mohammed  more  than  ever  desires  to  ally  himself 
with  us,  and  is  engaged  in  a  business  all  the  profits 
of  which  will  be  yours.  Do  not,  then,  confuse 
yourself  with  these  romantic  reveries,  which  do 
not  agree  with  real  life.  I  am  confident  as  to 
your  happiness  and  future  in  a  position  so  high 


148  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

that  all  women  will  envy  you.  You  will  thank 
me  a  little  later  for  having  decided  for  you." 

In  my  despair  I  again  tried  to  implore  him, 
but  he  interrupted  me  by  rising. 

"  I  have  not  come  to  talk  over  your  folly,"  he 
said,  "but  to  inform  you  what  is  decided  on. 
Your  marriage  will  take  place  in  eight  days  ;  but 
until  then  it  is  not  suitable  that  your  doors  shall 
be  closed  to  visits  of  etiquette,  nor  that  any  one 
should  suspect  what  has  passed  between  us.  Some 
of  your  people  shall  return  to  you  ;  only  know 
this  time  that  I  am  on  the  watch,  and  that  I  have 
given  orders  to  prevent  any  imprudence." 

My  father  then  left,  and  Bell  came  in  and 
threw  herself  into  my  arms.  She  told  me  that 
for  five  days  she  also  had  been  a  prisoner  like  my- 
self, in  spite  of  her  protestations  and  entreaties  to 
see  me. 

Nazly  has  disappeared,  driven  off — or  even 
killed,  perhaps  ;  and  they  have  so  succeeded  in 
hushing  up  any  rumor  in  regard  to  our  rendez- 
vous that  no  one  will  ever  learn  anything  about 
it. 

To  every  one — even  my  own  people — my  se- 
clusion has  been  attributed  to  a  severe  indispo- 
sition, and  my  disgrace  is  only  known  by  Hosnah 
and  my  father.  Poor  Bell,  though  questioned 
minutely,  never  has  even  understood,  in  her  strict 
integrity,  the  charge  against  me.  I  have  kept 
my  secret,  and  have  only  owned  to  her  that  there 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  149 

was  a  serious  disagreement  between  my  father 
and  myself  on  the  subject  of  my  marriage,  The 
good  creature  seemed  to  fall  from  the  clouds  at 
this  unexpected  news. 

My  door  is  open,  and  I  am  besieged  by  visitors 
whom  my  father  compels  me  to  receive.  Hos- 
nah  was  among  the  first  to  hasten  here  with  her 
friends,  and  remained  until  evening,  as  an  elder 
sister,  to  assist  my  inexperience.  Ironical,  implac- 
able, watchful  of  the  least  of  my  movements,  she 
made  me  submit  to  the  hypocritical  effusions  that 
she  recommenced  at  the  entrance  of  each  new- 
comer. At  last  the  day  had  flown,  the  last  visi- 
tor gone.  Hosnah  called  her  slaves  to  raise  her 
from  the  divan,  and,  as  she  went  away,  said  in  a 
mocking  voice  : 

"  I  advise  you  to  put  some  rouge  on  your 
cheeks  to-morrow.  Your  face  is  dreadful  for  a 
bride.  You  must  be  beautiful ! " 

I  turned  my  back  on  her  without  answering  ; 
and,  when  she  had  gone,  I  ran  to  lock  myself  up 
in  my  own  room,  and  burst  into  tears.  Bell  was 
beside  herself  at  this  despair,  which  she  could  not 
understand.  The  crisis  over,  yielding  to  her  en- 
treaties, I  let  her  carry  me  into  the  garden.  I 
was  scarcely  there,  when  the  cry  of  a  child  touched 
me  to  my  soul.  Mansour  on  seeing  me  ran  up, 
holding  out  both  hands  :  he  was  to  me  something 
from  Hassan.  The  poor  little  fellow  had  been  ill, 
and  Saida  had  obtained  permission  for  his  mother 


150  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

to  install  herself  at  Chimilah  for  some  days  to 
take  care  of  him,  and  exert  those  charms  in  which 
she  herself  believes.  While  I  kissed  the  child  on 
the  forehead,  his  mother  seized  my  hand  with 
transport,  and,  bearing  it  to  her  lips — 

"May  Allah  bless  your  actions  and  desires, 
hanum  !  "  she  said.  "  Your  servant  is  under  your 
feet,  and  you  can  walk  over  her  after  the  good 
you  have  done  ! " 

Saida,  having  seen  me  from  the  window  of  the 
harem,  came  down  to  join  me.  She  also  is  in  the 
dark.  I  learned  from  her,  in  the  midst  of  the 
exuberance  of  her  childish  prattle,  the  magnificent 
preparations  they  were  making  for  my  wedding, 
and  the  programme  of  the  f&tes,  which  will  last 
three  days.  Overwhelmed,  I  returned  home  to 
write  you.  I  need  settling  my  wandering  reason. 
I  fear  I  shall  go  mad.  O  God  !  if  I  could  die  ! 
Alas  !  yes,  my  poor  Martha,  I  wish  to  die  ;  and 
only  yesterday  I  completed  my  eighteenth  year  ! 

I  have  been  dreaming  all  night  that  I  saw 
myself  delivered  to  the  man  I  hate — solitary, 
abandoned,  in  the  heart  of  his  harem.  His  wife  ! 
Martha,  my  sister,  can  you  realize  such  a  horrible 
death  ?  His  wife  !  How,  as  in  a  terrible  dream, 
I  represent  to  myself  the  nuptial  chamber  which 
awaits  me  !  Forced  to  submit  to  his  affection, 
and  to  wipe  away  his  kisses  !  No,  no  !  My  bleed- 
ing heart — all  the  shame  in  my  nature  revolts 
against  it ! 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  151 

Hassan,  Hassan  !  My  love,  my  beloved,  save 
me  !  I  vainly  keep  thinking  how  I  can  die  !  It 
is  only  strong  natures  that  can  cast  away  their 
burden  of  misery.  I  am  weak  and  cowardly,  and 
fear  to  suffer.  I  have  remained  an  hour  beside 
the  Nile  with  its  depth,  trying  to  accustom  my- 
self to  its  enticing  abyss.  I  am  afraid — I  a*m 
afraid ! 

With  the  day  recommenced  my  torture.  My 
father  came,  and  I  could  hope  no  longer.  I  have, 
however,  obtained  permission  not  to  see  any  one  ; 
for,  as  my  big  sister  says,  my  swollen  eyes  and 
altered  countenance  produce  a  very  bad  impres- 
sion. I  shut  myself  up  with  Mansour,  and  his 
mother,  who  looked  at  me  with  her  great,  pro- 
phetic eyes  without  speaking,  as  if,  divining  my 
pain,  she  sought  in  her  magic  incantation  some 
strange  exorcism. 

Farideh  forced  an  entrance  to  consult  me 
about  the  choice  of  dresses  that  she  was  order- 
ing from  Paris,  and  also  to  point  out  the  enor- 
mity of  my  folly. 

"  You  are  very  silly,"  she  said,  "  and  your  head 
must  be  turned  for  you  to  grieve  so  because  our 
father  has  forced  you  to  be  happy." 

Three  more  days  have  flown,  which  bring  me 
nearer  to  the  fatal  moment.  I  can  not  think  any 
more,  and  I  feel  myself  falling  into  an  abyss,  gid- 
dy and  unconscious. 


152  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


XXIV. 

MY  destiny  is  decided  on  !  This  is  perhaps 
:in  eternal  adieu,  for  this  night  I  shall  leave  my 
father's  house,  never  to  return  ! 

You  know  that  Salome,  Mansour's  mother,  has 
free  access  to  my  prison.  The  superstitious  fears 
of  these  people  will  not  dare  to  bar  her  way.  I 
have  told  you  of  the  deep  devotion  this  woman 
has  for  me.  Yesterday  seeing  me  weak  and  list- 
less, with  my  hands  upon  my  lap,  looking  into 
vacant  space,  she  gently  approached,  and  in  her 
flowery  language — 

"You  bear  a  heavy  pain,  hanum"  she  said. 
"  Do  you  wish  to  die  ?  " 

"  What  does  it  matter  ?  "  I  replied,  frozen  in 
my  apathy. 

"Why  do  you  forget  I  am  here?"  she  added. 
"  Can  not  a  dog  aid  his  master?  " 

I  slowly  turned  my  eyes  toward  her. 

"  My  poor  Salome,  my  ill  is  not  of  the  kind 
that  your  sorcery  can  cure." 

"  How  do  you  know,"  she  inquired,  with  her 
strange  calmness,  "that  I  have  not  penetrated 
your  secret — that  I  have  not  already  prepared 
for  your  deliverance  ?  " 

"  You  !  "  cried  I.  "  My  deliverance  ?  "  I  am 
not  a  timid  gazelle  myself  who  weeps  wildly  at 
the  sight  of  danger,  and  yields  herself  a  prey  to 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  153 

the  hounds.  "But  what  would  you  have  me 
do?"  I  inquired,  dumbfounded.  "Would  you 
dare  to  risk  your  life  for  me — and  your  son's  ?  " 

I  surprised  a  strange  smile  of  disdain  upon 
her  lips. 

"The  fool  alone  lets  herself  be  caught  in  the 
snare  ;  the  wise  one  knows  how  to  avoid  it. 
Hold  !  look  ! "  she  added,  holding  out  her  hand, 
and  showing  me  a  key.  "This  opens  the  door 
of  the  garden  upon  the  bank  of  the  Nile.,  If  you 
use  it  some  night,  who  will  ever  know  how  you 
went  ?  " 

I  could  not  repress  a  cry.  What  Salome 
brought  me  was  a  means  of  escape.  It  was  only 
necessary  to  warn  Hassan.  My  heart  beat  in 
my  bosom.  I  seized  the  guayari  in  my  arms, 
and  in  a  whisper  I  confided  all  to  her,  leaving  my 
salvation  in  her  hands. 

All  the  preparations  are  finished.  A  note 
that  she  managed  to  have  conveyed  to  Hassan 
brought  back  directions  for  our  flight.  This  very 
night  he  awaits  me.  A  trustworthy  man,  chosen 
by  Salome,  will  conduct  me  to  him,  and  to-mor- 
row at  dawn  of  day  we  shall  have  bidden  adieu 
to  Cairo. 

Not  to  alarm  Bell,  I  have  hidden  everything 
from  her.  What  is  the  use  of  mixing  her  up  in 
these  anxieties  ?  Salome  will  see  that  you  receive 
these  last  letters,  which  will  at  the  same  time  tell 
you  of  the  tortures  and  deliverance  of  your  poor 


154  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

Miriam.     I  do  not  know  from  what  refuge  or 
when  I  can  write  you. 

My  sister,  do  not  blame  me  1 


XXV. 

MARTHA,  I  am  lost !  All  is  destroyed !  No- 
thing— nothing  more  remains  for  me  !  Alone  in 
the  midst  of  my  despair  I  look,  petrified,  at  the 
irreparable  disaster.  I  dread  to  think.  I  have, 
it  seems,  been  very  ill ;  they  thought  I  was  dying. 
Happily,  I  am  doomed  !  I  can  never  get  cured, 
because  in  this  dreadful  disaster  it  is  my  reason, 
my  heart,  my  soul,  my  entire  being,  which  are 
bleeding,  and  succumb.  Imagine  the  most  hor- 
rible plot,  the  most  stupid  mistake  of  my  imagina- 
tion, wandering  for  three  months  in  the  maddest 
of  dreams  !  But  you  will  never  understand.  Yet 
listen  ! 

You  are  aware  that  the  plan  of  my  flight  was 
all  arranged  and  resolved  on.  Hassan  was  to 
meet  me  at  the  house  of  a  fellah,  of  whom  Sa- 
lome was  as  certain  as  of  herself,  who  would 
conduct  us  there  as  soon  as  we  could  escape 
through  the  garden-door. 

When  evening  came,  I  pretended  an  attack 
of  fever,  so  as  to  go  to  bed,  and  get  rid  of  my 
people.  Bell  alone  remained,  and  did  not  leave 
me  until  nearly  midnight.  When  everything  was 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  155 

quiet  in  the  palace,  I  rose  again,  and  dressed  my- 
self very  softly.  I  had  taken  care  to  hide  in  my 
room  my  European  clothing,  which  would  conceal 
me  better.  It  was  impossible  for  any  but  a  for- 
eign woman  to  travel  in  the  company  of  a  man. 
For  fear  of  meeting  any  one,  I  threw  a  large 
habarah  over  this  costume,  enveloped  my  head 
in  a  veil,  and  went  down.  Salome  awaited  me  in 
the  garden,  which  we  crossed  in  the  shadow.  In 
the  windows  of  the  harem  the  dim  night-lamps 
still  flickered.  When  we  reached  the  door  Sa- 
lome opened  it,  and  we  found  ourselves  on  the 
road  which  borders  the  Nile,  where  a  man  was 
watching  for  us.  Without  speaking  a  word,  he 
walked  along  the  shore,  and  we  followed  him.  He 
loosened  a  boat,  and  when  we  got  in  he  took  the 
oars  and  crossed  the  stream  to  reach  the  opposite 
bank.  Was  it  the  fever,  or  joy,  or  some  fatal 
presentiment  ?  Sitting  silent  near  Salome,  I  trem- 
bled at  this  rash  resolution  which  was  to  decide 
my  future  life — but  I  was  going  to  Hassan,  and 
would  forget  all.  Then  we  disembarked,  I  hastily 
disembarrassed  myself  of  my  habarah,  and  we 
moved  in  the  direction  of  a  solitary  hut  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  river.  Near  the  door  the 
fellah  and  Salome  stopped  ;  my  heart  beat  to 
bursting  as  I  entered.  A  smoky  lamp  scarcely 
illumined  the  hut.  Hassan  was  there.  As  I  ap- 
peared, he  rose  quickly  and  came  to  meet  me,  but 
suddenly  stopped,  amazed.  I  believed  that  he 


156  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

did  not  recognize  me  under  my  disguise,  and, 
throwing  back  my  veil,  darted  toward  him  with 
extended  hands.  A  cry  of  grief  escaped  his  lips. 

"  You  are  not  Adilah-Hanum  !  "  he  cried. 

"  Adilah  !  "  stammered  I,  without  comprehend- 
ing. 

"  My  God  !  what  has  happened  ?  "  he  contin- 
ued, looking  at  me  in  dismay.  "  Why  has  she  sent 
you  in  her  place?  What  do  you  come  to  tell  me  ?  " 

Another  cry  was  stifled  in  my  throat — a  cry 
of  horror,  of  terror  and  shame.  Adilah  !  Adilah  ! 
Had  he  said  that  ?  A  frighf ul  light  shone  on  me. 
In  an  instant  I  divined  all.  It  was  Adilah  he 
was  expecting.  In  those  letters  full  of  fire,  in 
those  meetings  under  the  veil,  it  was  not  me  he 
loved,  nor  whom  he  had  loved  !  He  had  believed 
that  flower  from  the  window  of  the  pavilion  was 
thrown  by  the  hand  of  Adilah.  When  he  met  us 
on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  both  unveiled,  the  day 
he  saved  Mansour,  he  had  only  seen  her.  He  did 
not  even  know  me. 

Surprised  by  my  silence,  not  understanding 
what  a  horrible  pain  struck  me  dumb,  he  repeated 
his  question. 

"Tell  me,  then,"  he  said  in  a  voice  which 
trembled,  "  where  is  she  ?  " 

I  can  not  remember  what  I  answered,  I  only 
know  I  flew.  I  still  can  see  myself  running  dis- 
mayed across  the  road,  with  Salome  near  me  ;  then 
it  suddenly  seemed  as  if  the  earth  opened  under 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  157 

my  feet,  and  darkness  covered  my  eyes.  I  fell 
in  her  arms  on  reaching  the  boat  which  should 
have  carried  her  back  alone. 

When  I  recovered  consciousness,  I  found  my- 
self at  Chimilah,  a  prey  to  the  strangest  delirium, 
in  the  chamber  I  had  left.  It  was  nearly  day. 
Bell,  very  pale,  sat  at  my  bedside,  watching  my 
return  to  life.  She  told  me  that  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  Salome  had  entered  her  room,  saying 
that,  in  going  through  the  garden,  she  had  found 
me  near  a  bench  fainting,  and  had  brought  me 
in.  Bell  knew  nothing  more,  but  my  disheveled 
clothing  plainly  proved  that  some  terrible  event 
had  happened.  Only  one  thought  occurred,  that 
I  was  dying.  I  had  not  strength  to  speak.  I 
glanced  at  my  dress,  still  soiled  with  mud,  and 
she  concealed  all  that  could  betray  me.  When 
the  people  of  the  palace  had  risen,  they  informed 
my  father,  and  a  French  doctor  was  called  in 
haste.  I  vaguely  understood  that  I  was  in  dan- 
ger !  To  die — Great  God  !  what  joy  !  You  can 
understand  that  only  this  hope  is  left  me  ! 

Since  then  eight  days  have  passed,  and,  though 
the  violence  of  my  grief  has  not  decreased,  I  still 
live.  Some  stupid  strength  of  my  flesh  still  bat- 
tles within  me,  and  I  rise,  walk,  and  even  write 
you.  But  tell  me,  Martha,  is  not  this  a  frightful 
mistake  ?  It  was  Adilah  whom  he  did  love,  and 
whom  he  doubtless  loves  still ;  and  he  believes  it 
was  Adilah  he  saw  at  Zourah's.  He  believed 


158  THE  RETURN  OF  THE   PRINCESS. 

that  this  hand,  seen  through  the  window,  was 
hers  ;  for  was  it  not  her  house  ?  And  when  he 
wrote  me  that  I  was  not  free,  it  was  her  he  ad- 
dressed— her,  the  wife  of  Ali.  And  I,  poor  fool, 
did  not  understand,  did  not  suspect  it !  My  heart 
did  not  warn  me,  and  the  happiness  I  felt  was  a 
lie  which  I  built  over  a  ruin. 

But  what  avails  it  all  now,  since  I  am  dying  ? 
Days  succeed  days,  hours  follow  hours,  but  what 
interest  have  I  now  in  marking  their  course  ?  I 
ask  nothing,  and  desire  nothing.  The  great  kings 
of  Egypt  under  their  pyramids  must  have  this 
unconscious  calmness,  the  insensibility  of  marble, 
for  all  which  is  of  this  world,  to  which  they  no 
longer  belong.  And  he,  the  unhappy  one,  how 
he  must  suffer  !  Is  it  not  a  strange  adventure  ? 
To  see  suddenly  before  him  this  unknown  wo- 
man— he  did  not  even  know  who  I  was  !  Luckily 
he  will  never  learn  my  name,  and  he  will  take  me 
for  some  slave.  But  why  harrow  up  these  pains  ? 
What  is  the  cause,  but  this  odious  weakness 
which  does  not  know  how  to  stifle  passion  under 
pride?  I  will  not  think  of  it  more.  Martha, 
what  infernal  delirium  has  taken  possession  of 
my  soul  ?  I  can  not  even  avenge  myself  by  f  or- 
getfulness.  Alas  !  how  he  loves  her !  Do  you 
remember  his  letters  ?  But  you  have  not  seen 
his  look,  nor  heard  his  voice  when  he  thought  he 
was  speaking  to  her.  It  was  to  her — do  you  un- 
derstand— to  her  !  I  wished  to  write  you,  imagin- 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  159 

ing  I  had  lost  the  strength  to  suffer,  and  that 
my  despair  had  worn  out  with  my  vitality.  But, 
behold !  all  my  thoughts  reawaken,  like  furies, 
which,  for  a  moment  pacified,  rage  more  violently 
from  the  reaction.  O  Martha,  how  I  suffer  !  And 
I  have  no  tears  left,  but  horrible  convulsions  rend 
my  breast ;  a  frightful  regret  distracts  me  !  Why 
did  I  fly  so  quickly  ?  Perhaps  he  might  have 
taken  pity  on  me  ;  but  no,  no,  he  must  not  know 
me — he  never  shall  know  me. 

I  have  been  obliged  to  stop  my  letter.  I 
heard  a  noise  at  my  door,  and  on  inquiry  found 
it  was  Mansour,  who  had  thought  I  was  dead,  and 
wished  to  see  me.  Mansour  ! — poor,  sole  souvenir 
of  that  which  is  no  more.  Mansour  ! — the  cause 
of  all  my  unhappiness.  I  do  not  know  why  I  or- 
dered them  to  let  him  come  in.  In  the  doorway 
he  stopped,  distressed ;  then,  darting  to  me,  he 
melted  into  tears.  The  emotion  of  the  child 
touched  me  in  spite  of  myself. 


XXVI. 

THE  doctor  has  declared  me  out  of  danger, 
and  I  am  doomed  to  live.  They  inform  me  that 
the  preparations  for  my  marriage,  continued 
against  my  will,  are  all  now  finished.  What 
does  it  matter,  after  all  ?  Do  I  not  know  that 
neither  prayers  nor  tears  will  save  me — that  I 


160  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

can  neither  struggle  nor  defend  myself  ?  List- 
less, without  strength,  I  have  no  courage  left. 
Well !  well !  I  will  forget  if  I  can  ;  that  is  all. 

Listen  to  what  passed  yesterday.  My  father 
came  to  inform  me  that  the  f&te  of  presents  and 
of  the  contract  would  take  place  the  same  even- 
ing at  the  grand  harem.  I  must  therefore  re- 
ceive visits  of  congratulation  all  day.  Toward 
evening,  Hosnah  came  to  direct  the  details  of  my 
bridal  toilet.  When  I  was  ready,  they  drew 
over  me  a  long  veil  of  rose-colored  tulle  which 
entirely  covered  me,  and  carried  me  in.  In  spite 
of  the  paint  and  kohl  with  which  they  had  paint- 
ed me,  I  was  still  very  pale,  but  an  inward  energy 
sustained  me,  and  gave  me  strength  to  walk 
firmly.  There  is  less  feeling  of  apathy  when  a 
decision  is  irrevocably  made.  They  carried  me 
in  a  cort'ege  to  the  grand  harem,  where  "a  burst 
of  music  saluted  our  entrance.  Advancing,  as 
through  a  sea  of  fire,  still  supported  by  my  sis- 
ter, I  mounted  some  steps.  Then  my  veil  fell 
off.  I  heard  around  me  a  continuous  murmur, 
and  confused,  dizzy,  and  dazzled,  I  closed  my 
eyes  for  a  moment  to  recover  myself.  When  I 
again  opened  them  I  found  myself  seated  upon 
a  sort  of  throne  formed  of  immense  masses  of 
camellias  and  roses.  I  was  stunned  at  so  much 
richness.  The  walls,  sparkling  with  light,  were 
hidden  under  a  curtain  of  flowers  intermingled 
with  silk  embroidered  in  gold  and  precious  stones. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  161 

The  two  families  had  united  their  treasures  to 
t  deck  this  immense  saloon.  My  sister's  slaves, 
mixing  with  ours,  all  in  dazzling  costumes, 
formed  a  lane,  each  one  holding  in  her  hand  a 
gauze  flower  through  which  the  light  of  a  candle 
gently  shone.  With  the  greatest  ceremony  Hos- 
nah  presented  me  to  the  relations  of  Mohammed, 
who  overwhelmed  me  with  their  kind  congratu- 
lations. The  guests  then  defiled,  after  kissing 
the  hem  of  my  veil.  All  Mussulwomen  having 
the  right  of  entrance  at  any  marriage  fete,  the 
crowd  was  so  great  that  the  eunuchs  could 
scarcely  manage  it.  Exhausted  by  the  long  soli- 
tude of  my  illness,  all  this  noise  bewildered  me  ; 
I  was  still  too  weak  to  stand  it,  and  this  strange 
music  enervated  me  and  made  me  ill. 

Then  in  a  moment,  at  some  signal,  doubtless, 
all  the  crowd  suddenly  became  silent,  and  the 
music  ceased.  This  silence,  following  so  much 
excitement,  roused  me  from  my  stupor.  Hosnah 
took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me  to  the  closed 
door  of  the  harem.  I  can  not  fell  why,  but  a 
thrill  of  terror  ran  through  me  ;  I  feared  this 
mysterious  ceremony  that  I  could  not  understand. 
First,  behind  the  door  they  knocked  three  times  ; 
then  a  voice  demanded  my  consent  to  my  mar- 
riage with  Mohammed.  I  looked  at  my  sister  in 
amazement.  Three  times  she  answered  in  the  af- 
firmative :  she  had  answered  for  me. 

The  f$te  lasted  until  morning.  Hosnah  made 
11 


162  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

excuses  for  me,  and  herself  carried  me  back  to 
my  home  with  that  solicitude  which  she  affects. 
While  Bell  was  taking  off  my  veils,  my  sister  ex- 
plained to  me  that  during  my  illness  vague  ru- 
mors had  circulated  in  Cairo,  which  had  annoyed 
the  family  of  Mohammed,  and  my  father,  to  re- 
assure them,  had  resolved  on  this  public  evidence 
of  my  consent. 

It  was  the  imam  who  had  questioned  on  the 
other  side  of  the  door. 

Martha  !  I  am  married  ! 


XXVII. 

FOB  two  days  this  is  the  first  hour  I  have  had 
to  myself.  All  is  ended.  To-morrow  I  leave 
Chimilah  ;  they  carry  me  to  my  husband's  house. 
A  farewell  f&te  takes  place  this  evening  at  the 
harem,  at  which  etiquette  forbids  me  to  assist. 
Hosnah  represents  me  there. 

These  two  days  have  only  left  on  my  mind  an 
impression  of  dizziness  and  fatigue  ;  for,  harassed, 
I  sleep  at  night  a  heavy  sleep.  Never  away  from 
me,  Hosnah  guides  me  entirely.  It  is  she  who 
regulates  the  employment  of  each  moment.  Ali 
came  to  congratulate  me,  but  I  had  to  receive 
him  before  her. 

By  a  desire  expressed  by  Mohammed,  and 
which  is  an  unparalleled  attention  in  the  Oriental 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  163 

world,  Hosnah  carried  me  to  see  the  palace  I  am 
to  occupy — which  I  shall  occupy  to-morrow.  The 
women  of  the  family  did  the  honors,  and  gave  us 
a  handsome  collation.  Hosnah  skillfully  covered 
my  coldness.  I  went  over  this  ostentatious  dwell- 
ing, where  my  life  is  to  be  passed,  with  an  indif- 
ference I  could  not  overcome.  In  the  great  sa- 
loon of  the  harem,  near  an  Erard  piano,  I  recog- 
nized my  music-stand,  my  pieces,  even  my  favorite 
morceaux.  All  was  as  natural  as  if  I  were  al- 
ready living  there.  I  can  not  tell  if  Hosnah's 
penetration  could  read  what  was  passing  in  my 
soul  :  she  seemed  uneasy,  and  abridged  the  visit. 
I  returned  to  Chimilah,  with  an  attack  of  fever, 
which  I  dissembled  so  as  to.be  left  in  peace.  My 
father  came  to  see  me  ;  my  submission  has  ap- 
peased his  anger,  and  now  I  find  him  almost  af- 
fectionate, with  some  gleams  of  that  favor  which 
formerly  marked  our  interviews.  For  a  moment 
I  threw  myself  weeping  into  his  arms,  and  he 
consoled  me  with  his  old  tenderness. 

Then  Ali  brought  me  a  superb  cadeau  from 
Adilah.  I  have  put  down  my  letter,  for  a  flood 
of  memories  rushes  to  my  brain.  I  must  fight 
against  them.  I  took  a  turn  in  my  apartment,  to 
bid  adieu  to  the  dear  objects  I  am  leaving.  I 
have  taken  a  book  by  chance  from  my  little  li- 
brary. It  is  Shakespeare.  I  have  opened  it  ac- 
cidentally at  Cleopatra.  Is  there  not  forgetful- 
ness  there?  The  terrible  end  of  this  tragedy 


164  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 

has  frozen  me  with  terror.  There  are,  then, 
some  lofty  souls  which  dare  to  throw  off  the  bur- 
den of  pain.  I  wept  over  this  lover.  Though 
she  had  been  loved,  and  the  imperishable  souve- 
nir of  happiness  remained  to  fill  her  life  ;  she  had 
not  been  scorned  and  driven  off  ;  she  knew  how 
to  die  ! — 

u  Show  me,  my  women,  like  a  queen  : — Go  fetch 
My  best  attires ; — I  am  again  for  Oydnus, 
To  meet  Mark  Antony." 

And  then  near  her  the  man  carrying  a  bas- 
ket of  figs,  of  whom  she  asks  whether  he  has  the 
asp : 

"Hast  thou  the  pretty  worm  of  Nilua  there, 
That  kills  and  pains  not  ?  " 

He  tells  her  that  its  bite  is  mortal,  and  wishes 
her  "all  joy  of  the  worm." 

Mansour's  mother  came  in  while  I  was  read- 
ing. On  seeing  her,  an  extraordinary  curiosity 
took  possession  of  me. 

"  Have  you  still  that  asp  I  saw  at  your  house 
one  day  ?  "  I  asked  her. 

"Yes." 

"Is  it  true  that  its  wound  is  mortal  ? " 

"  Yes.     One  becomes  giddy — and  sleeps." 

"  Listen.  I  wish  to  look  again  at  the  one  you 
showed  me." 

"  Why  do  you  wish  to  do  that  ?  " 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  165 

"  Do  you  see  this  book  ?  It  is  a  history  of 
one  of  our  queens.  She  was  beautiful  and  pow- 
erful ;  but  she  died  from  the  sting  of  an  asp.  Go 
bring  me  the  little  serpent,"  I  added,  "  I  wish  to 
see  what  this  little  instrument  of  death  looks  like." 

She  gave  me  a  searching  look. 

"  What  do  you  wish  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Can  not  your  magic  tell  you  ?  I  enter  my 
new  home  to-morrow.  Bring  at  the  same  time 
your  wand  and  fortune-telling  book,  and  you 
shall  tell  me  my  fortune.  Go,  go  ! — I  wish  it." 

At  this  imperative  order  she  obeyed  me,  and 
left. 

It  is  a  strange  curiosity  which  has  seized  me 
this  evening  of  solitude  and  sad  reveries. 

My  destiny  !  Do  you  recollect  the  day  I  ar- 
rived at  Chimilah  ?  What  enchantment !  How 
smiling  everything  seemed  !  And  since  then  ? 
....  Say,  Martha,  is  not  this  an  unheard-of 
event  ?  I  have  lived,  loved,  suffered  all  the  deliri- 
um of  passion,  at  the  will  of  others,  in  the  seclu- 
sion of  this  harem,  as  if  in  a  senseless  hallucina- 
tion. And  of  the  secret  of  my  life,  wrapped  in 
the  darkness  of  a  despair  which  kills  me,  neither 
my  father  nor  my  family  can  ever  raise  the  veil. 

I  have  in  a  superb  vase  there  an  immense 
bouquet  from  my  husband,  which  recalls  the  mor- 
row to  me.  Among  the  Bengal  and  Sharon  roses 
there  are  some  sprays  of  jasmine.  You  can  not 
believe  how  ill  this  flower  makes  me  ! 


166  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


xxvm. 

I  WATCHED  until  daylight.  It  is  mid-day  now, 
and  I  have  just  risen.  I  wish  to  add  a  few  lines 
to  my  letter  of  yesterday  while  waiting  for  Sa- 
lome, who  is  coming  to  predict  my  fate.  Upon 
the  table  in  front  of  me  are  her  things,  which  she 
has  already  brought,  and  in  a  box  pierced  with 
holes  the  little  asp  lies  upon  a  bed  of  leaves. 

What  a  strange  creature  !  It  looks  like  a 
pretty  emerald  bracelet  dotted  with  rose-colored 
pearl. 

I  have  locked  myself  in  my  chamber,  to  es- 
cape the  extraordinary  activity  which  pervades 
the  entire  palace.  They  are  preparing  for  my 
departure  :  my  trousseau  must  be  carried  in  great 
state  to  my  husband's  palace.  This  evening,  with 
a  cortege  of  torches,  my  sister  Hosnah  takes  me 
to  my  new  dwelling.  Of  course  I  take  Bell,  as 
well  as  my  poor  little  Mansour. 

Yet,  is  it  indeed  true  that  I  am  married  ? 
Why  does  this  word  freeze  my  heart  ?  Have  I 
not  had  three  days  to  accustom  myself  to  it? 
Have  I  not  known  for  three  days  that  I  must  go 
to-day  ?  Have  I  not  been  Mohammed's  wife  for 
three  days?  ...  At  the  end  of  my  apartment, 
from  the  chamber  of  my  women,  we  can  see  the 
interior  of  the  court,  where  they  have  taken  out 
the  coaches  of  the  harem.  I  wished  to  see  them. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS.  167 

All  are  ornamented  and  dazzling ;  and  the  seats 
are  covered  with  stuffs  embroidered  in  gold. 
These  preparations  are  for  me — to  carry  me  away. 
I  flew  like  a  maniac  to  regain  my  chamber. 

It  is  done  —  all  is  ended.  At  the  close  of 
this  day,  which  is  speeding  on,  I  shall  no  longer 
belong  to  myself.  To-night  I  shall  be  at  the 
house  of  Mohammed — Mohammed  my  husband. 
Why  have  I  never  realized  this  ?  I  have  thought 
that  this  terrible  hour  would  never  come.  Thought- 
less, stupid,  crushed  by  grief,  believing  that  I 
could  not  suffer  any  more,  I  have  allowed  myself 
to  drift  on.  Though  I  have  been  lured  on,  abused, 
vilified,  I  love — I  love  as  on  the  first  day.  I  love 
Hassan.  I  love  the  recollection  of  him.  I  love 
this  mistake  which  has  lost  me.  I  can  not,  I  will 
not,  be  another's. 

Me  married?  Oh,  no,  no!  I  have  acted  in 
the  torpor  of  a  dream,  and  now  I  awaken.  My 
somber  destiny  is  accomplished. 

Martha !  IsTo  other  being  in  this  world,  not 
even  he,  must  ever  know  this  sad  secret  of  my 
life  that  I  have  confided  to  you.  Keep  it,  as  well 
as  my  memory,  in  the  depths  of  your  heart.  My 
friend,  my  sister,  forgive  me  ! 

I  have  opened  the  box  in  which  Salome  keeps 
her  asp.  The  little  worm  has  bitten  me.  I  am 
dying.  Adieu ! 


168  THE  RETURN  OF  THE  PRINCESS. 


XXIX. 

"My  DEAR  CHILD  :  Blinded  by  my  tears,  I 
write  you  these  few  lines.  When  all  here  was 
joy  and  happiness  at  the  accomplishment  of  this 
marriage,  which  fulfilled  all  our  expectations,  a 
horrible  accident  turns  our  joy  to  mourning.  Our 
poor  little  Princess  Miriam  is  no  more  !  At  the 
very  moment  when  they  came  to  conduct  her  to 
her  husband's  palace,  they  found  her  inanimate 
form  reclining  on  the  divan. 

"  She  was  dead — stung  by  an  asp,  that  was 
afterward  found  among  the  flowers  ! 

"Alas  !  just  when  so  splendid  a  future  await- 
ed her.  Inclosed  with  these  deeply  afflicted  words 
is  this  sealed  letter,  addressed  to  you,  which  was 

still  in  her  hand. 

"BELL." 


THE   END. 


^r\r\^r\r\Af\f\r\ 


ysam 


^*M 


A' •V.V\n* 


KftM* 


^^M9ft 


A^'C /~YLJnr 


m 


.A^^V^O. 


*oo 


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